Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: The Movie
by S.P.D. Gold Ranger
Summary: Part of Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway. When Nick and Yuki are called through time by their future selves to help turn a war with the Subspace Army on its head, none of them are aware of the adventure that is about to unfold...
1. Act 1: Forward to the Future

(Prologue, written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

_The distant future, circa 2043..._

Swords and energy beams clashed all over the terrain as the Subspace Army made its move against the warriors of Misora.

"Yuki-chan, can you see any weakness in that army?" a boy's voice resounded. We can quickly notice that the boy speaking is a slightly older version of Nick Kelly.

"I can't see a THING with all these Primids crowding the place!!" the older Yuki Shinoya replied, scanning the ranks of the incoming Subspace Army. "AH!! Nick-kun, look out!!"

Nick quickly drew Hanyou Hikari and slashed towards the creature that had tried to jump him. The slash created a beam of light that easily cut the Primids down.

"Doremi-chan!! How are the others doing?" Nick asked into his communicator watch. Almost instantly, the familiar voice of their lifelong friend Doremi Harukaze answered him.

"The barrier we put up at the city gates is working, Kellysi-chan, but I don't know how long we'll be able to hold them off!!" Doremi's panicked voice answered.

"Why don't you fools just give it up?" the gravelly voice of the Subspace Army's commander resounded over the battlefield. "The Subspace Army is invincible as long as the Genesis Comet remains in the skies!!"

The older Nick looked up towards the sky; the Genesis Comet was what gave the Subspace Army its power, and it seemed like a dark magic spell had been put in place to keep the comet in the skies so that the Subspace Army would always be at its height of power.

"Wait, Nick-kun!!" the older Yuki exclaimed. "I think I have an idea on how to stop all of this!!"

With that, the older Yuki pulled out a glowing blue ball of energy. Nick seemed surprised at what his sister was referring to.

"Yuki-chan, remember what jou-sama said? We can only use those things in an emergency!!" Nick exclaimed.

"This is probably the biggest emergency I've seen in my life!!" Yuki replied. "This may be our only chance! If we can find _them_ in the past, we may be able to stop the Genesis Comet from even coming to this world!!"

After a couple seconds of thought, Nick nodded in understanding. "All right. Let's do it while we have the chance!"

The older Yuki nodded, holding the glowing ball into the air and chanting her famous magic words.

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii!! Take us back to the past!!"_

Yuki's ball of energy began shining with a bright light, and almost instantaneously, Nick and Yuki were warped away in a flash.

_Present day, circa 2008..._

The older Nick and Yuki appeared right in front of the Into the Night Hotel.

"Say, isn't that the place we used to stay when our parents turned on us?" the older Nick wondered.

"Yeah, it is!!" the older Yuki replied. "I took us back to when we were still staying here. Hopefully, they're here. We're definitely going to need every last bit of their help if we're going to stop the Subspace Army."

"I hope that this plan works, Yuki-chan," the older Nick replied.

"Me, too, Nick-kun. Me, too."

(BONUS: Here's the opening! Yeah, you HAVE to have this for a movie. The song is "Raion" by Jinn!)

(Footage: We can see Nick standing by the store, waving to the camera. Quickly switch to Yuki waving to the camera by a basketball court.)

_Saikou sokudo no seimeitai enerugii  
__Kanbatsu kaihi junkan kousei kairo  
__(Energy of the soul, at top speed  
__Drought, evasion, circulation, composition, circuit)_

(Footage: The camera zooms up a skyscraper until we can see the future Yuki clashing with a mysterious entity. She blocks the strike and performs a catapult far back, landing on the next building and bringing Tobiume into battle stance.)

_Teitaion! Teitaion! Tobe, saa!  
__Kurasshaa in the sky  
__(Body temperature low! Body temperature low! Come on, fly!  
__Crusher in the sky!)_

(Footage: Quick flashes of all of the Ojamajos, including the future forms of Nick and Yuki, each striking various poses.)

_Shintou, shinri, nazo nokoshi, kaerou  
__(Penetration, truth, let's leave the mysteries behind and go home)_

(Footage: Nick raises Hikari and stares down a creature with bat-like wings, just waiting for the right moment to strike.)

_Nani ga kinou no mama de  
__Namida yogosareta no ka  
__Saigo ni tonde itta kakera wo  
__(What will still be dirtied by tears  
__Like it was yesterday?  
__The pieces that flew away in the end)_

(Footage: We can see the future Yuki holding her hands to her heart as silhouettes of young Nick, Momoko, and Saiki pass by on the screen. During the short instrumental break, we can see the future Nick and Yuki standing on top of a pillar.)

_Nanika ga karete  
__Dareka ga warau  
__(Something dries up  
__Someone laughs)_

(Footage: The young Yuki slowly looks towards the camera, an embarrassed look on her face.)

_Aah..._

(Footage: Nick jumps into the sky, followed by a close-up of Nick and Yuki joining hands.)

_Shunpatsusei chokusenteki gankou kaminari oto  
__Toppatsusei shinkouteki gendou raion  
__(Instantaneous, direct discernment, the sound of thunder  
__Sudden, direct, speech and actions, a thunderclap)_

(Footage: Another bat-like creature can be seen fighting Nick. With a powerful strike, the creature pushes Nick back. Just then, the future Nick flies in and tosses the creature into the air, signaling to the young Nick, who nods and unleashes an Ojamajo Arrow of Light that covers the screen.)

_Kono sekai ni eien nante "mondaigai"  
__Hitotsu datte aru hazu ga nai yo, sou daro?  
__(In this world, eternity is "not an issue"  
__It's doubtful that it'll even happen once, wouldn't you say?)_

(Footage: The young Nick and Yuki can be seen staring at each other, smiling brightly. A flash fills the screen, and then the two can now be seen wearing fancy dresses and holding each other's hands. Switch to Nick drawing a circle with Nenshou Hikari and unleashing an Aura Crescent.)

_Aah..._

(Footage: Nick and Yuki stare brightly at each other, taking each other's hands. The _Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: The Movie_ logo appears onscreen before fading to a picture of Nick and Yuki standing by their future selves.)

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(Trust is a matter of honor. When you trust someone, they trust you back. It's quite simple, really.)

**S.P.D. Gold Ranger** and **YukiShinoya444** present:

Takeshi Kusao as Nick Kelly

Saeko Chiba as Yuki Shinoya

Sakura Tange as Akemi Suzuki

Aya Hirano as Moriko Takahashi

Atsuko Enomoto as Kurumi Sayoko

Nami Miyahara as Momoko Asuka

Mamiko Noto as Fujio Kashikoi

Mayumi Yamaguchi as Leon Sokuryoku

Tomo Saeki as Akatsuki and Saiki Shidoosha

Kazumi Okushima as Tooru Kounna

and Norio Wakamoto as Gargos and Waltz in...

_Ojamajo Doremi Breakaway: The Movie_

Story Created: March 19th, 2008

Story Finished: June 20th, 2008

Summary: In the distant future, Nick and Yuki are fighting a losing battle against the mysterious Subspace Army. With seemingly no way to emerge victorious, the future Nick and Yuki head back in time in hopes that their past selves can turn the tide on the Subspace Army. When the siblings meet their future selves, it's anyone's guess what's going to happen...

Disclaimer: Neither Yuki-chan nor I own ANYTHING of Ojamajo Doremi, though we really wish we did. The series and all of its affiliations belong to Toei Animation and whoever licenses it for their particular country. Let's rock!

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(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"NICK-KUUUNN!!! WAKE UP!!!"

Nick winced, yawning in his sleep while Yuki huffed, putting her hands on her waist, obiviously annoyed.

"Wake up!" she yelled again, shaking her older brother. "Come on Nick-kun! Wake up, wake up!"

"Five... more... minutes..."

"You said that 5 minutes ago!" Yuki exclaimed, angry. "Come on Nick-kun, the early bird catches the worm as they always say!" "Who said I wanted a worm...?" her brother asked, still half-asleep.

Yuki flinched, clenching her fists. "Nick-_kun_..."

_**WHAM!!!**_

"Ow, I'm awake, I'm awake!" Nick exclaimed, looking around, now fully awake, out of the bed with a rather large bruise on his head. "Sheesh Yuki-chan, was that really necessary?" Yuki slapped her backarm, holding her fist, creating a look of distress on her older brother.

"Yuki-chan, what is _up_ with you?"

Yuki stood there, still a sour look on her face, as if she had a mouthful of soy sauce.

"....What does that gesture mean again?"

Nick sweatdropped, doing an anime fall. "Quit fooling around!!" At that minute, his sister understood, blushing. "O-Oh! Sorry bout that, I thought it meant something else..."

Silence.

"Yuki-chan..."

"Anyway, I'm going out to get something, okay? That's what I really wanted to say!!" Yuki clasped her hands together. "I thought if I didn't tell Nick-kun before time, we'd end up with a mad search on our hands, and you'd practically turn all of Misora upside down looking for me, like last time."

Nick couldn't help but blush at _that_ incident.

"So I will be going out!" she repeated, cheerfully. "Is that okay?" His brother just nodded, and Yuki rushed out the door. Once she was gone, Nick sighed.

"She grows up more and more everyday..."

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Yuki rushed towards the hotel doors, stopped and held the door out for an elderly, and went out, however...

_**Bump!!**_

Yuki shook her head after impact, and immediately began apologizing like there was no tomorrow.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry! I didn't see you! I'm really, really sorry!" she rambled, bowing. A smile formed on the stranger's face.

"As if I wouldn't see myself now..."

"Huh?" Yuki looked up, eyes widening at the sight of the woman she ran into. "Uh..."

She was pretty sure, but something about her was strange... Long black hair all pulled back in a ponytail and dark brown eyes. A smile was also stamped on her face, but not just any smile...

_Hers_.

Yuki blinked twice, and rubbed her eyes. "Am I still dreaming?" The woman giggled. "Nope, not at all... Yuki-chan."

_What in the...?_

"Yuki-chan!" a voice that Yuki recognized as Nick's, but older, called out. Yuki opened her mouth to ansewer, but instead the lady did.

"Over here, Nick-kun!"

The woman turned to her younger self, smiled, and then yelled back, "And you wouldn't guess who I found! Me!"

"Did you now?"

Now Yuki noticed another figure approach this person that looked like her, but she immediately realized that he looked exactly like her older brother, only, well.... _older_.

"Huh, looks like this was _before_ you lost your childsh kawaiiness," the older Nick stated with a laugh. The older Yuki puffed her cheeks like she always had, and turned back to her younger, and very confused self.

"What do you mean? I still got it!"

He shook his head. "Yeah... Not so much."

"Nick-_kun_!"

Suddenly she did a gesture, the same one she had mistakenly used that morning, which caused her older brother to cough, rubbing his throat.

"Uh..." The younger Yuki blinked twice, and finally just screamed.

"_NICK-KUN_!!!!"

Back inside the hotel room, Nick immediately perked up. "That was..." He quickly looked out the window and noticed none other than his little sister, backing away from two other people; never mind the faces, Nick was never patient, especially when it came to his sister.

"GET AWAY FROM YUKI-CHAN!!!" he yelled, hopping out of the window and landing in front of Yuki in a battle stance. "Nick-kun!" his sister called out, happily.

Their older selves however, weren't surprised. "See?" the older Yuki pointed out. "I told ya I'd freak out." Nick raised an eyebrow. "Who... are you two?"

"That's an easy one!" the older version of his sister exclaimed. "We're you! From the future!" "From the future?" The two confused siblings repeated, confused.

"Yup! From the future! We came about a very serious matter and..." Nick's older self elbowed the older Yuki. "Yuki-chan. Quiet. Anyway, we're just here because we need your help."

"With what?" his younger self asked, taking caution.

"Well..."

"HOLD IT!!!"

"Huh?"

All stared at the present Yuki, who clasped her hands together, eyes sparkling. "Please future me, tell me! Am I married to Saiki-kun in the future? Am I?"

At that moment, a shadow seemed to be cast over her future self, and she grew silent. "Funny story about that..." Yuki looked a little confused. "Is there something keeping the wedding from taking place?"

Her older self smiled sadly. "I guess... You could say that..."

"Really?" Yuki's eyes glimmered. "What's that bad thing?"

The older Nick answered for her.

"A war."

Glancing at his saddened sister, he quickly mouthed _"Don't tell her,"_ and she nodded, adding, "That's what we need your help on."

"A war, eh? What can we do about it?" Nick asked, still on the offensive. "We'll explain on the way," his older self replied. "Come on, we've got something to show you." Nick nodded, but was still skeptical.

His sister on the other hand, rushed up to her future self. "So how _is_ Saiki-kun in the future anyway? Is he doing well?" she asked, excitedly. Her future self forced a smile, and patted her younger self on the head, like _he_ used to do.

"No worries, Saiki-kun's in a good place. A good one."

Yuki just smiled. "Thank goodness for that!" She then noticed something. "Hey future me, are you crying?"

"N-No..." she replied, shakily. Yuki cocked her head to the side, still confused.

"O-Okay then..."

Nick growled. "Alright then, if you're really who you say you are. Tell me, what's this about a war?"

His older self couldn't help but grin. "Still impatient like I am. Don't worry, we'll go to that. But there's one thing you must understand, Nick..."

The smile on his face faded.

"You must know, how it all began..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"It all started about twenty years from this time," future Nick explained, telling his story. "I'm sure you two know who Gargos is, right?"

"How could I _ever_ forget what that little bastard did to my family?" Nick stated, emitting a low growl.

Future Nick couldn't help but laugh. "Typical 'me' response. Anyways, twenty years from now, Gargos found a way to bring the Genesis Comet back into orbit above Misora. Normally, the comet only passes over the town every two hundred years, but Gargos' mysterious master somehow found the power to force the Genesis Comet to return."

Future Yuki stepped up. "Once they'd brought the comet back into orbit around the planet, Gargos and his master used a powerful dark magic spell to keep the comet above our city. Apparently, the core of the Genesis Comet contains a mysterious and ungodly powerful energy. That energy is what Gargos used to summon the Subspace Army from another dimension."

"Once the Subspace Army was free, all hell pretty much broke loose right there and then," future Nick continued. "Apparently, Gargos hadn't forgotten about the constant butt-kickings we gave him and the Delegates of Darkness, so he declared war on us, the Majokai, and the Mahoutsukai. It's been like that for fifteen years straight. He still hasn't been able to bring us down, but it's quickly turning into a losing battle. The Subspace Army seems to be getting stronger with every day that the Genesis Comet stays in orbit above the town. Yuki-chan and I knew that we wouldn't be able to take the comet down by ourselves."

Future Yuki smiled. "But we figured that you two might be able to help, since I know you've dealt with the Genesis Comet before, right?"

Nick and Yuki blushed like mad, still trying to forget that the disastrous festival had ever happened.

"I'm still trying to forget what went down there," Nick stated. "Hazuki-chan was screaming so loudly, I'm surprised Ai-chan didn't slap the hell out of her."

Suddenly, Nick thought of something. "Speaking of which, how is everyone else doing?" Nick asked.

At this, future Nick smiled. "Everyone's doing okay, thank goodness. Doremi-chan's doing fine, but she's still a bit of a klutz. I think Poppu-chan's still embarrassed. Hazuki-chan's been studying the legends of Subspace in hopes of finding a way to seal them back into their own dimension."

Future Yuki looked up into the sky as she continued. "Good old Ai-chan became a star basketball player, but her temper STILL hasn't gone down, unfortunately. Onpu-chan and Akemi-chan became a popular music duo. If I had one of their singles, I'd show it to you. They're just that good at singing."

Yuki gasped in surprise. "_Sugoi!!_ Akemi-chan became a pop star? Guess she finally got over her shyness..."

Future Nick nodded. "Mostly thanks to Mori-chan. She's Akemi-chan's manager. I got to say, I never would have thought it of Mori-chan."

"What about Momoko?" Nick wondered. "Is she doing all right?"

Future Nick looked surprised for a second, but quickly brushed it off. "Of course. Why wouldn't she be? I'm sure she'd love to see you."

Future Yuki suddenly looked around the nearby corner. "Drat!! I think I dropped something over there!!"

Yuki looked confused at what her future self may have lost.

Future Yuki quickly rounded the corner, signaling for her older brother to follow.

Once future Nick was there and safely out of earshot, the older Yuki looked a little concerned. "You almost told him, didn't you?"

Future Nick actually seemed surprised at how quickly his little sister had caught on. "You knew, huh?"

Future Yuki waved a finger at her older brother. "We can't tell them."

"What's the point, Yuki-chan? If we take them back, they're going to find out anyway!"

"That's why it's best to let them find out for themselves. Better they learn from the rumor mill than their future selves. You always were so quick to judge back in this time, so I don't know WHAT your past self would do if he found out. You KNOW how he loves Momo-chan..." future Yuki explained.

Future Nick thought for a couple seconds. "All right. Hopefully he'll take it a little better if he finds out from someone other than us."

"Hey, so are we going or what?" Nick's voice resounded, causing his future self to nearly jump in his spot.

"Oh, of course, we'll be right there!" future Nick responded, taking his little sister back by the hotel. "You guys ready?"

Nick nodded, taking his little sister's hands into his own. "Let's go kick some Subspace butt."

Future Yuki giggled before bringing out her crystal. _"Pururunu pikapikan chanchii!! Return us to the future!!"_

With that, all four witch apprentices disappeared in a bright flash.

_In the future..._

Another bright flash appeared in the center of the city, and Nick, Yuki, and their future selves came out of it. Nick and Yuki immediately gasped at the sights they took in.

"What happened here?" Nick had to ask.

"The Subspace Army pretty much decimated the southern half of the city," future Nick explained. "Thank god the girls were off on an errand in the Majokai when it happened..."

Before Nick could say anything else, a basketball came flying out of nowhere and beaned him on the head, knocking him straight to the ground.

"Hey, what's the big idea, buddy?!" Nick exclaimed, rubbing the spot where he'd been struck. _That really hurt..._

"_Gomenasai_. I guess I still haven't gotten control of that stupid ball yet..."

Nick and Yuki perked up at this familiar voice. "Is that you, Ai-chan?" Yuki asked.

Indeed, Aiko Senoo herself had walked up, retrieving the basketball she'd lost control of. Nick took a moment to study Aiko's future self: her dark blue hair now reached below her waist, and she was wearing a basketball jersey with the number 27 imprinted on the back. Her sapphire eyes seemed to sparkle even more than they did back in the present time.

"Well, well, if it isn't the little twerps," Aiko stated, quite happy to see them again. Nick and Yuki looked absolutely shocked.

"_Twerps?!_" Nick and Yuki exclaimed. Their future selves simply shrugged.

"It's a long story," future Yuki stated.

"You're growing up so fast," Aiko responded, ruffling Nick's hair affectionately. "Momo-chan would have been so proud."

Aiko suddenly covered her mouth in shock, realizing too late that she had just said something she shouldn't have.

"What?" Yuki wondered.

"Ai-chan... what happened to Momoko?" Nick asked, his voice serious.

Aiko sighed. "I guess the cat's out of the bag. Kellysi-chan..."

Nick looked like he was about to start crying.

"The truth is... Momo-chan's gone."

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Silence. The younger Nick looked too shocked to speak. "This... This is a joke right?" "A joke?" Yuki repeated. "Is Momo-chan on a trip or something...?"

Aiko shook her head. "I mean gone, Yuki-chan." Yuki turned surprised. "Uso... You don't mean... You couldn't possibly mean..."

When she got no response, she staggered back, falling right on her bottom. "No way... This can't be right... Momo-chan can't be... This must be some sick joke..."

Her older brother shook his head, as if trying to clear it. "She's... gone?" His older self nodded, sadly. "I'm... sorry..."

"How could this of happened?" he wondered, eyes blank. "How on earth could I...?" Yuki looked up, and regained her poise. "Nick-kun...?" she whispered, letting a hand rest on his shoulder.

"....I need some time to myself," her older brother murmured, brushing away her hand and walking away. Yuki was silent for a few moments.

"So... it's true? Isn't it?"

She turned to their future selves with watery eyes. "Weird... Nick-kun wasn't crying, maybe he was trying to be strong? Or... he just didn't want to burst into tears in front of his little sister?" Her future self looked down, guiltily. "Hey, little me..?"

Yuki sniffled, covering her eyes to prevent the tears from coming, but in vain, it all came out.

"I envy him..." she whispered in a raspy voice. Tasting her salty tears, Yuki shivered.

"If she's really gone... And Nick-kun won't cry about it... I'll cry instead... How did this happen huh?"

The future Nick let out a sigh. "I'll tell as soon as he's back... believe me." The future Yuki just had a look of pity. "I don't know what to say... Sorry. I kinda dried my tears."

"Is that so...?" Yuki asked, tears still coming from her eyes. "Well I do cry quite a lot... That annoys me a little..." Her future self smiled. "Still does."

"But at least..."

Yuki sniffed, pulling her hands together. "Saiki-kun's still okay right?" Her future self flinched. She looked down.

"....Yeah..."

Her younger self smiled brightly, tears still sparkling in her eyes, but added a look of relief. She quickly realized something, and started coughing. "Gotta remember, gotta remember..."

Her future self sighed. _Little me's smile..._ her mind murmured. _I've forgotten how..._

"Anyway, I'll go console Nick-kun... I'm pretty sure he's taking this really hard..." Yuki sighed. "Future me, Nick-kun, Ai-chan, stay right there!"

And with that, the black witch scampered off.

Aiko looked a bit worried. "So Yuki-chan, ya ain't gonna tell your past self?" "Hell no," she answered, bitterly. "Just how do you think she'll, _I'll_ act...? Nick-kun, you know very well what could happen..."

The future Nick shook his head. "But don't you think keeping the truth is a little...?" "If I can keep that smile!" the future Yuki snapped. "If she, I, whatever... If she can keep smiling happily, no matter what happens... All those smiles... I lost them somewhere, and I don't want that to happen to her, not just yet..."

She grew quiet, and a stray tear slid down her cheek.

"My tears... haven't completely dried out, yet... My smiles... they've all been worn out... I still feel empty..."

Silence.

"I hope you're making a good decision..." future Nick stated, looking up.

"But, I can't say I'm proud either..."

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"Where could he of ran off to?" Yuki wondered, looking around. "That Nick-kun... I know he's upset but..."

She put her hands on her waist. "But..." she sighed. "I'm so selfless.. It's _Momo-chan_ for god's sake!! I was shocked too... Momo-chan was a dear friend... But... But to Nick-kun, she..."

She grew silent. "I don't understand how he feels... But I got to at least try! Heck with sympathy! If I want to understand Nick-kun, I would need him to help me!"

Yuki looked around again. "But first I would have to _find_ him..." She put her hands to the sides of her face, calling,

"HEY!!! NICK-KUN!!! WHERE ARE YOU?!?! NICK-KUUUNNN!!!!!!"

No answer.

Sighing, she let her arms drop. "Where is he...?" she wondered, worried.

_Nick-kun... Nick-kun... Where are you?_

"HEY!!!" a voice calls out.

"Eh?"

Just in time, someone grabbed Yuki's arm, which earned a loud scream before dragging her down...

...Just in time to dodge a bullet.

Yuki blinked twice, and then a hand slammed over her mouth as she felt someone's hot breath tickle her ear, ultimately freaking the black witch out as she began squirming.

"Be still would you?!" the same voice hissed in her ear. "I'm being chased here!"

_Chased?_

Yuki shivered with fear. Was this guy threatening her?

_Where's Nick-kun when you need him?! I'm scared!!_

The person holding her looked back, letting out a sigh of contempt. "Good... That soldier left..." he murmured before turning his attention back to the girl he was 'holding captive'.

"And _you_..."

The black witch was now hysterical, and chomped down on his hand, causing him to release her, surprised.

"OW!"

Yuki quickly took her chances, scrambling away...

...Only for the boy to get a tight grip on her ankle, making her yelp with pain.

He apparently noticed, and let out a light gasp.

"Looks like you injured it..."

Yuki tightened her fist, shaking it, wondering in pure despair how this could of happened, and in front of some boy who could do just about anything he wanted with an injured and helpless pretty girl.

...Ugh, she'd rather not think about that.

_This is just getting worse and worse..._

Her attention was grabbed when he began observing her ankle, touching the swelling delicately and pulling off the black sneaker. She bit down on her lip, almost hard enough to taste blood to prevent the cries of pain.

_T-That hurts...!!_

Noticing his actions were only (and clearly) making her miserable, he pulled back on getting off her shoe. He then sighed, noticed something, blushed, and dropped her ankle which earned a surprised and painful yelp.

"W-What are you?!" she gasped quickly getting up, balancing herself on her good foot. "Where you...?! Kyaaa~!" Horrified, she pulled her skirt down, and faced him...

"You...!! Eh?"

Her brown eyes went blank.

_That face..._

The boy quickly waved his hands. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to!!! Honestly, I didn't!" he apologized, blushing from completely embarrassing himself in front of this cute girl. "I'm really, really sorry!"

Yuki's eyes just filled with tears, getting his attention.

"O-Ojou-san, are you...?"

He was quickly cut off when she tackled him in a tight hug, wrapping her arms around his shoulders, burying her face beside his neck.

"W-Wha..?"

"Saiki-kun..." she murmured softly, tightening her grip on the back of his shirt. "You haven't aged a bit..."

"U-Uh..." he patted her back, awkwardly, still confused. "Excuse me?"

"Hm?" Yuki pulled back, and he finally got a good look at her. He blushed.

_Yep, definitely an angelic face..._

Yuki noticed something rather strange, too.

_His eyes..._

Instead of the coal-black comforting eyes she was so use to, there were a pair of a confused ones, with a deep shade of brown like her own. Weird...

"Uh..." he stated, blushing a little. "Can I help you?" She blinked twice, blankly. "Saiki-kun...? Is that all you have to say?"

"_Saiki_?" the boy repeated, a bit confused. "I.. I think you have me mistaken with someone else..." Yuki made a face.

"You're not Saiki-kun?"

"No..."

Yuki let this sink in for a few moments before snapping up and squealing in surprise. "Oh, my god! You look so much like him, I thought... I'm so sorry!"

He just blinked. "It's... okay?"

Yuki laughed before falling back down, hissing in pain. The boy looked worried.

"I forgot about your ankle Ojou-san..."

"N-No need to worry..." Yuki answered in a strangled voice. "It's all okay.." "I doubt that.." he replied, raising an eyebrow.

Yuki sighed. "So tell me, if you're not my Saiki-kun, who are you?" She extended out her hand, expecting him to kiss it. "The name's Yuki, for your information."

"Oh.." The boy stammered for a few moments before answering, "My name's Satoshi. Nice to meet you, Yuki-chan." "Satoshi-kun..." Yuki repeated, smiling a little.

Satoshi stared blankly at Yuki's hand before she pulled it back, sighing. "It's... nice to meet you... Now if you don't mind..."

Yuki pushed herself up, wobbily supporting herself on her only good foot, ignoring the screaming pain in her ankle. Satoshi groaned and mumbled something along the lines of "women are so stubborn" under his breath before offering to help.

"I don't need it," she insisted, with a troubled smile. Satoshi shook his head. "_Yes_, you do." Yuki blinked, confused.

"Um... No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Yes you do."

"_NO_, I don't."

"Yes, you do!"

"I said 'no, I don't'!"

"YES, YOU DO!!!" he practically yelled, almost officially losing both his patience as well as temper. Yuki shrunk.

_H-How could I of mistaken this guy for my gentle Saiki-kun..?_

"O-Okay.. So what? As soon as I find Nick-kun..."

Satoshi perked up. "'Nick-kun'? I thought this _Saiki_ guy was your boyfriend..." "He is!!" Yuki snapped, annoyed. "Nick-kun's my older brother!"

"Older... brother..." Satoshi repeated. "Sou ka.."

"Either way, if I find Nick-kun, he can heal my ankle and..."

"No way in hell am I letting you go on in your current state."

"Why not?!" she pouted, admittingly cutely. "Because you're a girl," Satoshi stated matter-of-factly. "But it'll be just fine... If I don't put any weight on it..." Yuki mumbled, puffing her cheeks.

"_If_," he repeated, mockingly. "Case closed, Yuki-chan. I'm carrying you." Yuki opened her mouth to protest but paused as she noticed him turn around and got down on one knee.

"Get on," he said over his shoulder. Yuki was silent, wondering whether she should accept it or continue arguing... But something told her otherwise.

After all, it wasn't everyday a guy that looks like your boyfriend offers to give you a piggy-back ride after just meeting you.

"O-Okay..." she replied, shakily and hesitantly. Yuki got down as well, wincing, and climbed on his back, wrapping her arms quickly around Satoshi's neck, making him blush.

"Er, let's get going okay?"

"Okay!" Yuki exclaimed, cheerfully. "Let's find Nick-kun, Satoshi-kun!"

Satoshi made a face, a little relieved at Yuki's light weight, and a little nervous.

"...Right."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"By the way, Yuki-chan... Why _are_ you looking for your brother?"

Yuki immediately blushed, but quickly shook it off.

"Nick-kun... his girlfriend just passed away recently, and he's pretty upset. The problem is, we've never been to this place before, and I'm afraid he may have gotten himself lost in his depression..." Yuki explained.

Satoshi growled. "Then we'd better move faster. I don't want to know WHAT the Subspace Army is going to do to him if they find him..."

Yuki immediately perked up at that. _Darn it, I'd almost forgotten about them... that stupid Subspace Army is the whole reason I'm here in the first place!_

"I'm surprised you're even IN this city, Yuki-chan. It's a dangerous place to even be in because of the Subspace Army," Satoshi noted.

"It's not my fault, really! I don't even know how I got here in the first place..." Yuki lied, hoping not to reveal to Satoshi how she'd REALLY gotten here.

The next few seconds passed in silence.

"What's he like, Yuki-chan?"

"Say what?"

"What's your brother like?" Satoshi repeated. Yuki's eyes glittered in understanding.

"Well... he's really nice, VERY impatient, and of course, he's fiercely protective of me," Yuki explained. "This one time I went out to do some errands, I'd forgotten to tell Nick-kun first, and he almost turned our whole home city upside down trying to find me!"

"Did he, now?" Satoshi noted with a sly grin. _Kinda reminds me of what my father did that one time..._

However, before Satoshi or Yuki could ruminate further on this issue, a massive rumbling shook the very foundations of the city.

"What... what is that?" Yuki wondered.

"No... don't tell me they've found us already..." Satoshi groaned. Almost as if to answer Satoshi's question, a massive scorpion burrowed out from the ground nearby, all seven of its intimidating pincers poised and ready to strike.

"What's THAT?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"The Sand Scorpion. One of the Subspace Army's Heavenly Kings," Satoshi explained. "The Four Heavenly Kings are the most powerful warriors that the Subspace Army has. We'd best run for it, Yuki-chan. The two of us aren't even CLOSE to a match for this guy!!"

Satoshi turned around to dash away from the Sand Scorpion, but Yuki would have none of it. "No way, Satoshi-kun!! My leg may be sprained, but Nick-kun's depending on me!! Heavenly King or not, there's no way I'm letting some giant, oversized BUG stop me!!"

Yuki hopped out of Satoshi's grip and landed gracefully on her feet, the pain in her ankle practically nonexistent by now.

"I haven't forgotten what you promised me, Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed. "For you... I will do anything!!"

Seemingly ignoring Yuki's proclamation, the Sand Scorpion began dashing away. Yuki immediately broke into a sprint, surprisingly being able to keep up with the monster.

The Sand Scorpion didn't take too lightly to this, and began swinging its pincers for the black witch apprentice, who nimbly dodged them all. Satoshi was the first to notice that a snow-white energy aura had appeared around Yuki.

_Wait. Isn't that the aura that otou-san told me about?_ Satoshi wondered as Yuki continued to dodge each strike from the Sand Scorpion.

"Why don't you stand still, you little freak?!" Yuki exclaimed, searching for a weak spot in the bug behemoth. She quickly dodged a horizontal strike from one of the pincers...

...and that's when she saw it: a massive eyeball on the top of the scorpion.

"Checkmate!!" Yuki exclaimed, stepping up her sprint just in time to dodge a slash from the Sand Scorpion's bladed tail that was apparently longer than its body was. Yuki somersaulted off of the tail and drew her Jewelry Poron.

"Got you now!!" Yuki shouted, thrusting her hands forward and quite literally plunging her Jewelry Poron into the behemoth's eye, causing it to stop dead in its tracks and lurch forward, the damage done.

The beast began to twitch and glow, but Yuki was already a safe distance away, holding her Jewelry Poron in a victorious pose as the Sand Scorpion promptly exploded in a flash of orange and red.

Satoshi, needless to say, was practically _dumbfounded._

"Oh... my... _god._ You actually beat one of the Four Heavenly Kings?!" Satoshi exclaimed, not being able to believe what he had just seen. "That's impossible!!"

Yuki simply smiled. "To someone like me, _nothing_ is impossible if you simply believe in yourself," she explained.

Satoshi smiled.

"Now, let's go find Nick-kun," Yuki stated, taking Satoshi's hands and racing off.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN, THE SAND SCORPION WAS DESTROYED?!!"

Gargos almost instantaneously backed a few steps away at the enraged voice of his master.

"With the Genesis Comet in orbit above the city, the Subspace Army should be invincible!! WHAT IN THE HELL JUST HAPPENED?!!"

Gargos suddenly realized something he'd seen only a few minutes before reporting in.

"Master... it may have been... _them._"

"THEM?! WHO THE HELL IS..."

The master suddenly calmed down as he realized who Gargos was talking about.

"Ah. So the bratlings have returned."

"Apparently, their future selves came to recruit them to help destroy us," Gargos theorized.

"They may have defeated the Sand Scorpion, but the next of the Four Heavenly Kings will not be so easy to simply bring down," the master stated.

"Gargos, I am growing impatient with those witch apprentices' continued resistance. If they are not annihilated soon, you may well suffer the consequences of my anger. This is your one and only chance. Dispatch the Ifrit Golem to the city and crush them any way you see fit. I expect no more failures."

"I understand completely, Master Tabuu," Gargos stated to the master, bowing quite respectfully. "You can count on me."

"For your sake, you had better not let me down."

"Oh, I have my own plans for those wretched brats. Make no mistake, they will be destroyed."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"Yuki-chan?"

"Yes, Satoshi-kun?"

"You're... you're just _awesome_." There was no other way that Satoshi could word it.

Yuki flashed a cute smile, hitting her head goofily. "_Arigatou_, Satoshi-kun!!"

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Ah..."

Yuki fell down, immediately grasping Satoshi's attention. "Yuki-chan!! Are you...?!" He perked up when he noticed Yuki's hands move to, where else?

Her ankle.

He sighed. "Figures. You sprained it, and went through all that... Now I bet you fractured it." Yuki winced. "I'm a strong girl..." she mumbled, caressing her injury.

"Oh give me a break," Satoshi sighed, rolling his eyes. He got down to eye level and turned around again. "Just get back on, okay?"

The black witch puffed her cheeks, but obeyed. "Yosh, yosh..." he started, getting off. "You know something Yuki-chan? You're pretty easy to carry."

"I've been told..." Yuki replied, brightly. "And you know what? You're a bit more like Saiki-kun than I thought Satoshi-kun!" "Huh... Really?" Satoshi asked, a blush appearing on his face.

With that, he began to wonder. Just what was this Saiki guy like anyway? With the fond way Yuki spoke of him, he was probably a good guy. Either way...

He envied him.

"Saiki-kun is a kind and wonderful person!!" Yuki rambled on, now swinging her legs, unknowingly making it even harder for Satoshi to carry her. "I love him so much! He's a lot like Nick-kun too, ya know? He's protective, sweet, kind-hearted..."

"I bet he's not that great..." Satoshi couldn't help but mumble, obiviously a bit annoyed. Yuki puffed her cheeks.

"At least he doesn't look under my skirt!!"

Satoshi's eyes widened, and he turned an UNBELIEVABLY dark shade of red. "T-That was an accident!! An HONEST mistake!! Heck, I didn't mean to..." Yuki raised an eyebrow. "_Ecchi_," she stated, with narrowed eyes.

"N-No!" Satoshi exclaimed, nervously. "Yuki-chan, give me a break!" Yuki hmphed. "As long as you don't say such things about Saiki-kun when you don't even know him!"

"Sou ka..." he replied, feeling utterly defeated. "So what _is_ Saiki like?" Yuki smiled. "He's a great guy!"

"I know _that_."

"Well, he's..." Yuki thought for a few moments, trying to think of something simple and sweet.

_Because_, even she could tell Satoshi was just asking out of curiosity, and not actual interest.

"He's... really nice.. And.. really brave too.. Like Nick-kun..." Yuki giggled. "Although a bit silly at times." "Anything else I need to know?" Satoshi asked, now a bit interested.

"Well, Saiki-kun stands up really strong for what he believes in, and protects what is precious to him..." Yuki explained, looking up with stars in her eyes. "So in other words, you?" Satoshi asked, expectantly.

"Not just me. His friends... His family... Everything. My favorite thing about Saiki-kun is probably his dedications... He does everything he can to protect both his older brother, and his dad..." Yuki grinned. "Even though it's obvious he cares for them much more than he ever cared for me, that's just fine with me, because he still makes room in his heart for me, and that's all that matters..."

Satoshi was silent. _That sounds like __**him**__..._

Yuki noticed his thoughtful, and somewhat sad gaze. "Satoshi-kun, something wrong?" "No..." he stated in a soft voice. "Nothing..."

"Hey Satoshi-kun, what about you? Do you have any brothers or sisters? Parents?" she asked, now curious. Satoshi stopped.

"Do you... really want to know?"

"Huh?" Yuki looked confused. "Did I say something wrong Satoshi-kun?"

"I had one sister... A younger one..." Satoshi started, quietly. "Really? Can I meet her, Satoshi-kun?" the black witch asked with sparkling eyes.

"No... The Subspace Army took her from me years ago..."

"What do you... Oh!" Immediately the guilt washed over her and Yuki pressed her face against Satoshi's back. "I'm sorry, I didn't know!" "It's okay," he replied with a sigh. "It was a long time ago, anyway..."

"But, it's just so sad! But... what about your parents?" Yuki couldn't help but ask.

He froze. _That..._

His eyelids lowered as he frowned, as if he had done something he really regretted.

"That's... no business of yours. I'm on my own here..." he stated, blushing faintly. She blinked twice.

"Really?!" Yuki gasped. "Me and Nick-kun are, too!" "Huh, is that so?" Satoshi wondered. "Why is that?" "Well, our dad was.."

She paused.

_Should I really tell Satoshi-kun top-secret info like this? I mean, I just met him... And I only tell people I trust! But just look at what he's doing for me, even though we barely know each other! Plus, who knows? He might say 'Me, too!', and understand how I feel..._

"He was... abusive."

"Physically?" Satoshi asked, almost surprised. He couldn't imagine _anyone_ besides the Subspace Army, much less her own father, hurting this girl. Yuki nodded. "Mom... was having an affair with someone and left... So... he just got moody on us..."

"Oh.." Satoshi sighed. "Parents do that sometimes... That's why I left..." "Really? Were your parents...?" he hastily cut her off. "No, nothing like that... It's just... complicated..."

He groaned. "When I left I thought I was doing what was best, but now I just feel stupid... Oh well, no turning back.." "What happened Satoshi-kun?" Yuki asked. He shook his head.

"I'm sorry, I can't tell you..."

"But I told you...!!"

"But _yours_, is _understandable_."

Yuki huffed. "_Understandable_, what do you mean 'understandable'?" "I mean, I understand your reasons, but you wouldn't understand mine. It's just.... ARGH! Less talking, more looking okay?" With that, Satoshi kept walking, refusing to talk anymore about the matter.

"Sheesh.." Yuki started, annoyed. "I bet Saiki-kun wouldn't keep secrets from me.. I wish he were here.."

Satoshi stopped for a few moments. _That's..._

"_I wish he were here..."_

"Satoshi-kun, something wrong?" the girl asked, a bit confused. Satoshi quickly shook it off. "No..." he uttered quietly. "Just.. Just a flashback or something..." "Huh.." Yuki noted. "Are you sure you don't want to tell me, Satoshi-kun?"

"Pretty sure."

"Really?"

"_Really_."

"Come on Satoshi-kun, I can keep a secret! I keep tons of them!"

"Yuki-chan, there's something you must understand..." Satoshi stated in a soft voice. "Believe me, it's not that I think you're a bad person at all... It's just... I just can't trust you..."

"Trust?" Yuki repeated, a bit confused. "Is that it? You can't trust me?" "Do you trust me?" he asked. "Yea-" she paused.

She still didn't tell him that she was really from the past... In reality, she didn't plan on telling him anytime soon either...

"...No."

"See?" Satoshi sighed. "If you can't trust me, I can't trust you. That's how things work." "But I sorta trust you!" Yuki insisted. "I told you about my parents didn't I?" "You're naive, you know that?" Satoshi stated with a groan. "Even if that's true, I don't trust you... Not even a little..."

"You... You don't have to be so mean..." Yuki said softly, a blush appearing on her face. "Satoshi-kun, if something's troubling you, let it out! That's what Saiki-kun always says! Please, if I don't understand, then help me!"

Satoshi stopped. _He used to always tell me that, too..._

"You... You sure talk a lot about Saiki..."

"Why not? I love him... I love Nick-kun, too... There's no reason not to mention them..." Yuki pointed out, innocently.

"I'll tell you a reason. It's _that_, that's troubling me... You're stirring up unpleasant memories." Glancing at her over his shoulder dryly, he sighed. "I... I don't want to remember anything.. I may get mixed up in your family business, but _please_ don't get mixed up in mine... It'll only make you sad... Understand, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki blinked, her eyes glimmering with worry. "You can always tell me when you feel like it..." "I'll keep that in mind. But for the time being, don't say anything." he advised, sternly. The black witch nodded sadly, and layed her head back down.

"Satoshi-kun...?"

"Yes?"

"Where are we?"

Satoshi looked around, and sighed. "Looks like I got lost, while I was talking to you... Direction's never been a strong point..."

She nodded, able to relate, since she _always_ got lost back home when Nick wasn't with her.

"No worries, I'll find the path, and your brother too, soon. I know this place well enough..."

Yuki nodded, smiling a little. "I hope we _can_ find Nick-kun..." "We will," Satoshi reassured her.

"....Wherever he is..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Yuki took note of the area she and Satoshi had found herself in: it seemed to be a harbor town that reminded her a lot of Misora back in her own time.

"So much like home..." Yuki couldn't help but state.

"That's the Tempest Waterway," Satoshi explained. "After the war with the Subspace Army broke out, it became a refuge center for everyone who survived the initial attack."

"Oh, those poor people," Yuki stated, resting her head on Satoshi's shoulder. THIS caused Satoshi to blush like mad.

"Why would they do something like this?"

"That's what I don't know, Yuki-chan," Satoshi answered. Something then clicked in Satoshi's head. "Say, Yuki-chan, if your dad WAS abusive, how did you survive it?"

Yuki blushed. "That was Nick-kun's idea... He's always been protective of me, and after a while, he just couldn't take it anymore..."

(flashback, Nick's P.O.V.)

"_Yuki-chan?" I asked, gently shaking her by the shoulders. She opened her eyes._

"_Nick-kun?" she responded with her angelic voice. "It's 11:30 at night... is something wrong?"_

"_Aren't you sick of this, Yuki-chan?" I asked. "Living in constant fear! I don't know about you, Yuki-chan, but I can't take this anymore!!"_

_Yuki's eyes glittered at this statement. "You mean dad, right?"_

"_The next time he comes after us, we may not have a chance to get out alive!" I exclaimed. "We've got to take this opportunity while we still can!!"_

"_Are... are you sure, Nick-kun?" Yuki replied. "Do you really think we can do it?"_

"_I know we can do it," I reassured. "Trust me, Yuki-chan, if we don't take this chance now, I'm afraid we may never get that chance again!"_

_Yuki smiled. "Okay. What should we do?"_

"_First, we should wait for dad to fall asleep. That should give us a nice head start. Once he's asleep, grab whatever you absolutely need, and we'll go for it," I explained._

"_Where are we going to go, Nick-kun?" Yuki asked._

"_Not really sure... pretty much wherever the wind takes us, I guess..."_

_Yuki thought for a few moments, then smiled again. "Perfect."_

_With that, Yuki ran to her dresser, but I took her hand, hoping to get this out before it was too late. "Yuki-chan, I just want you know that I love you... as much as I can love my little sister."_

_Yuki smiled. "Aw, Nick-kun... I love you, too. Now let's get dressed and head out whenever you're ready."_

_True to Yuki's word, she was packed and ready to go within a few minutes. However, she still seemed a little nervous. "I'm still scared, Nick-kun. What if dad finds out about this? That scar on my back still hasn't recovered from the last time!!"_

_Yuki began crying, but I was there to comfort her. "Don't cry, Yuki-chan. If dad DOES find out about it, we'll be long gone by then. So there's no need to worry. Remember what I said to you? 'I'll always protect you, no matter what the risk'. I promised that to you."_

_Yuki was in tears by the end of this statement. "Arigatou, Nick-kun. I'm ready whenever you are."_

(end flashback)

Just then, Yuki heard an explosion and a jumble of voices. The voices she could decipher said...

"So. You showed up after all."

"Why don't you go to hell?! You're the LAST person I need to see right now!!"

The second voice Yuki easily recognized. "That's Nick-kun!! He may be in trouble, Satoshi-kun! Come on!"

Nodding, Satoshi broke into a sprint, heading towards the source of the commotion.

Down in the square, Nick quickly summoned Nenshou Hikari and aimed it for Gargos, gathering all the light energy he could find.

"_DIAMOND TEMPEST!!!_" Nick cried out, the shards of light thundering forward and slamming into Gargos. However, he simply shrugged off the attack as if it was nothing.

"I'll admit, you've gotten stronger in the past couple decades," Gargos taunted. "But with the power I currently hold, you can not possibly hope to defeat me."

Not surprisingly, Nick didn't take too well to this. "Um, you wanna run that by me again?!" Nick exclaimed. Gargos couldn't help but laugh at this.

"That's exactly what _she_ said before I did away with her."

This confused Nick. "What the hell are you..."

Just then, the pieces fell into place.

"You... YOU'RE the one who killed her, didn't you?!"

Gargos laughed maniacally. "So. You catch on quick."

Nick's anger suddenly rose. "You little BASTARD!! I should have known you were behind this!!"

Rage blinding his vision, Nick charged for Gargos, Nenshou Hikari held high.

"You're going to pay for what you did to my girlfriend, you little bastard!!" Nick exclaimed, Nenshou Hikari glowing brightly.

"_Let the demon's luster shine brightly!! Hanyou Hikari, shine down!!"_

A bright cocoon of light enveloped Nick, nearly blinding Gargos for a few seconds. When the light cleared, Nick was wearing a black uniform complete with red cape, and Nenshou Hikari had become a _daitō _with a blade that glowed a bright emerald.

"You're going to pay for what you did to her," Nick stated in a low, vicious voice.

"NICK-KUN!!!"

Gargos noticed that Yuki was running towards the scene, and laughed. "I guess I'm no longer needed here."

Before Nick could react, Gargos had disappeared. "Get back here, you coward!! I'm not done with you yet!!"

"NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki called out again.

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki quickly hopped off Satoshi's back, supporting herself on him for a few moments before rushing towards her brother.

"NICK-KUUUNNN!!!!"

Finally, Nick snapped out of his angry daze and turned around, surprised. "Yuki-chan?" Yuki threw her arms around him, tackling him in a tight hug.

"Nick-kun... Please don't..." she whimpered, tears coming from her eyes. "Just think about it..."

"Yuki-chan, what do you..."

Nick's eyes then widened, understanding, and pushed her back by her shoulders. "Sorry, you just wouldn't understand Yuki-chan..."

Yuki shook her head like crazy. "So?! That doesn't mean I can't help!" "Yuki-chan..." her brother started.

"Oi, is that really the way to talk to a pretty girl, _especially_ when she's your sister?"

Nick immediately perked up when he noticed Satoshi walk towards him and Yuki, and tightened his grip on her shoulders, surprising her a little.

_Eh? Nick-kun's tense...._

"Saiki-kun?" he asked in a hoarse, strangled voice. Yuki perked up as well. "Oh... Satoshi-kun..."

"Satoshi?" Nick wondered, a bit confused. _He looks just like him..._

"Seems the apple doesn't fall too far from its neighbor," Satoshi huffed. "Though they don't always look alike..." Nick blinked twice.

"...What?"

"I mean, Yuki-chan made the same mistake earlier, and excuse me, I don't see a single similarity between you two..." he explained with a slight sigh.

Nick smiled. "Let's just say that she takes after her _obaa-chan_, and I take more after my _ojii-chan_."

"Another thing, careful with Yuki-chan, she injured her ankle earlier..."

"And how would you..."

"Just _how_ do you think she got here?"

Hearing this, Yuki laughed a little. "Nick-kun, this is Satoshi-kun, he looks like Saiki-kun!" "Yeah, I noticed..." Nick mumbled, sweatdropping a bit. "The only difference is the eyes..."

Satoshi raised an eyebrow.

_That sure sounds familiar... Nick looks familiar too... Where have I seen him before? Maybe I'm just imagining it... You never know... With the condition we're in, just about anyone could look familiar these days... It's kinda weird..._

"...He carried me here," Yuki continued. "Satoshi-kun's the one who helped me find you... He's a really nice guy!!" At that, Satoshi blushed a deep shade of red.

"M-Mm, she's very easy to carry..." he trailed off, not knowing what else to say.

"Really?" Nick asked, a little surprised. "And why would you go through all that?" "Huh.. I wonder why..." Satoshi replied, staring straight at Yuki, a light blush still on his cheeks.

Yuki blinked twice, a bit confused. "Nick-kun, wouldn't it be because he's a nice guy?" she asked, a little uneasily. "Satoshi-kun's been really kind to me while I was looking for you..."

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Huh.." Yuki looked a bit worried. "Nick-kun, he's no one bad, I can assure you..."

_With the tender way he treats me... How can he be?_

"I'm sure you're right..." he replied, softly. "I'm just a little.." "Cautious?" Satoshi wondered. "That's understandable..." Yuki laughed a little.

_Yes... Much more understandable than you understand... Satoshi-kun..._

Nick sighed. "Yuki-chan, I'm sorry..." Yuki smiled brightly.

"No worries, no worries! I'm just glad Satoshi-kun and I found you before something happened..."

Nick couldn't help but smile back. "Yeah..." he agreed. "I'm glad too..." His little sister closed her eyes, still smiling.

_Yokatta..._

Yuki then perked up, and blushed a bit. "Um... If you don't mind, I'll look ahead... For... For our _friends_..." And with that, she half-walked, half-limped forward.

"Cute girl," Satoshi couldn't help but state once Yuki was out of earshot. He turned to Nick, smirking a bit. "Don't you agree?

Nick raised an eyebrow. "Satoshi-kun, why _did_ you go through all that trouble bringing Yuki-chan here?" Satoshi sighed.

"Because my parents taught me how to behave like a gentlemen well enough where I always act on it whenever I see a girl like her, helpless." He shook his head.

"Of course... Her chattering on and _on_ about this Saiki guy annoys me a bit..."

At that, Nick shot him a glare. "I wonder what Yuki-chan sees in you..." "Hm? Is that the first thing you said to _him_?" Satoshi asked, a bit confused. "That or like Yuki-chan, you don't trust me..."

Nick huffed a little. "I don't particularly trust anyone getting that close to my sister." "And I'm just going to assume Saiki doesn't fall under the category of 'anyone'?" Satoshi responded with a sigh. "You trust him, right?"

At that, the green Ojamajo blushed a little. "Well, _yeah_ but... He does so much for Yuki-chan..." "No worries, I don't exactly trust you either." Satoshi rolled his eyes. "What kind of brother leaves his baby sister _alone_? _Especially_ in a place like this?"

Nick flustered. "That was a mistake..." "Mistakes happen, but even if it was a mistake, you must remember this is a dangerous place. You leave Yuki-chan alone, and she'll end up like Mana-chan..." Satoshi stated in a low voice.

"Who's Mana-chan?" Nick asked, a bit confused. "Figure it out," Satoshi replied. "Meanwhile, I'm going to check on Yuki-chan..."

As Satoshi walked off to find Yuki, Nick began to think.

"Just what does he mean...?"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As soon as Satoshi got near enough, he started hearing a singing voice.

"_daisuki to omou kara ne kizutsu ittari tomadottari  
tsumetai hoho wo yose atte kokoro ga umareta"  
__(It's because I love you so much that I hurt you, that I'm so confused  
Coming close to your cold cheek, my soul was born)_

Satoshi perked up right away, surprised. "That voice sounds like..."

"_itsumo ima sugu ni aitai"  
__(I always want to see you right away)_

He continued ahead in a hurry, eager to find out who it was.

"_mukuchi ni naruhodo suki yo yasashisa doushitara mieru no  
dakishimete motto tsuyoku atataka na mune wo shinjiru yo"_  
_(I love you so much I can't speak, so how will you see my kindness?  
Hold me tighter, I believe in your warm heart_)

Satoshi quickly gasped in surprise when he caught Yuki sitting on a log, singing with a smile on her cute, as always, face.

"_sayonara SORITIA ashita e"  
__(Farewall, solitare, to tomorrow)_

His eyelids lowered. _That's the same song she used to always sing... Her voice sounds the same too.. Weird..._

"Anou saa, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki stopped singing and looked behind her. "Oh, Satoshi-kun! Hello! Um... Did you hear that?" she asked, sweatdropping and blushing a bit. He nodded, still dumbfounded.

"Yuki-chan... That song..."

"Oh, it's a favorite of mine..." Yuki explained, dodging his gaze. "It's really pretty.."

"Very..." Satoshi agreed. "It... Brings back memories..." "Oh!" Yuki covered her mouth in surprise. "I'm sorry!"

"No, good ones..." Satoshi said with a laugh. "No need to apologize." "Oh, that's a relief.." the black witch giggled. "I was almost worried for a moment, Satoshi-kun... I seem to remind you of a lot of bad things when I don't mean to..."

"Yeah... I wonder why..."

Yuki smiled a little, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks. "Um..."

"Say, Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi perked up, a little confused.

"Yes?"

"Can you keep carrying me, I mean, my injury still hasn't healed and..." Yuki fiddled with her fingers. "That and... Well... It's sorta comforting... Ya know? I like it a lot..."

Satoshi looked surprised, and blushed a deep shade of scarlet.

_Ah... Yuki-chan..._

He smiled a little, sadly.

"Nick might not like that..."

At that, she looked annoyed and put her hands on her hips.

"Ooo, he'll get used to it! Most of the time I love him, but other times he's a pain! But what can you do?" Yuki glanced at him. "So what do you say Satoshi-kun? _Can_ you? Please?"

Satoshi flushed red. "Um... I guess so."

Yuki smiled brightly.

_What a relief..._

"I'm so glad, Satoshi-kun! Thank you!!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

As Nick stared at where Satoshi used to be, he was pretty much lost in thought.

_Why does he look so much like Saiki-kun?_ Nick wondered. _Wait... could he be...?_

However, he heard two soft and very familiar voices singing in the distance. His curiosity piqued, he began to follow the source of the voices.

"_aitai na aenai na setsunai na kono kimochi_

_ienai no iitai no_

_CHANSU nogashite bakari"_

_(I want to see you, but I can't... How sad, these feelings..._

_I can't say it, but I want to_

_I just keep letting my chance slip by)_

"_datte (datte) datte (datte)_

_tsubasa hiroge futari de_

_sora wo MARASON yume wo YUNIZON shitai"_

_(But still (But still) But still (But still)_

_Together, let's spread our wings and_

_marathon across the sky; I want our dreams to be in unison)_

It was at this point that Nick recognized the voices that were singing. "Is that Akemi-chan?" Nick wondered. "Well, future me DID say that Akemi-chan became a pop star. This I have to see for myself."

"_hora catch you catch you catch me catch me matte_

_kotchi wo muite SUKI da to itte_

_sou Nice to Meet You Good to See You, kitto!_

_atashi no omoi anata no HA-TO ni_

_tonde, tonde, tonde yuke_

_mayowanai!"_

_(Hey look! Catch You Catch You Catch Me Catch Me, wait up!_

_Look this way and say you like me_

_Yeah! Nice to Meet You Good to See You, surely!_

_My thoughts will fly, fly, fly into your heart!_

_They will not get lost!)_

By this point, Nick was clearly able to see the stage that Onpu and Akemi were singing on. "Hey, girls!!" Nick called out to the musical duo.

Once their song was over, Onpu and Akemi gasped in surprise at who exactly was calling out to them.

"Kellysi-chan?" Onpu wondered.

"Nick-kun?" Akemi wondered.

Nick had to grin at this. "The one and only. Been a while, huh?"

Akemi's hair had been let down from its normal ponytails, so it cascaded down to about her waist. Onpu's amethyst hair now went down to about her shoulders, and she had a butterfly barrette in her hair as well.

"You look like you haven't aged a bit, Kellysi-chan!" Onpu exclaimed, running up to Nick.

Nick scratched the back of his head. "It's a long story, Onpu-chan," Nick replied.

Then, Nick noticed Akemi just staring at him.

"Something you wanted to say, Akemi-chan?" Nick asked as Akemi walked up to him, only to have her pull Nick into a tight hug.

"I missed you, Nick-kun..." Akemi stated, the ever-familiar blush covering her face.

Nick, while blushing himself, managed to return Akemi's embrace. "I missed you, too, Akemi-chan..."

Akemi took a step back to study Nick. "You're growing up so fast, aren't you? Momo-chan would have been proud of you."

Onpu quickly tried to keep Akemi from saying something she shouldn't have. "Akemi-chan, don't! He doesn't need to know about that just yet!!"

Nick simply raised his hand. "It's all right, Onpu-chan. Future me explained everything. I actually found the perpetrator myself not too long ago."

"Is Yuki-chan still doing okay?" Akemi wondered. Just then, Nick gasped in shock.

"Oh, crap! I almost forgot about her!!" Nick exclaimed, calling out for his little sister. "YUKI-CHAN!!!"

"I'm right here, Nick-kun!!"

Nick turned around just in time to see Yuki race up with Satoshi.

"Well, well, Akemi-chan!!" Yuki exclaimed, embracing her friend. "Future me told me that you're a popular singer nowadays!"

"Onpu-chan and I get around," Akemi responded.

"Mostly because of me."

Everyone turned around to see Moriko Takahashi herself walk up to the group. The only noticeable difference, besides looking older, was that Moriko's hair wasn't in pigtails anymore, and that Moriko had gotten some yellow highlights for her hair.

"Hey, Mori-chan!!" Nick exclaimed. Moriko couldn't help but smile.

"It's been a while since you've called me that, little Nick-kun," Moriko explained.

"So I hear you're Akemi-chan's manager now," Yuki asked, quite curious.

"More or less," Moriko stated. "With all the promoting I do for Jewel and Sakura over here, they'd BETTER be popular." Moriko pointed to Onpu and Akemi as she said this, referring to the music duo's stage names.

However, before anyone could say anything more, something enormous emerged from the nearby lake, trashing the stage that Onpu and Akemi were just singing on.

"What IS THAT?!" Akemi exclaimed.

"Girania," Onpu quickly answered for the crystal witch apprentice. "One of the Subspace Army's guardians. They patrol the perimeter of the city and try to pick off any stragglers. We'd best make a run for it!"

"No way, Onpu-chan! I may have been lost in the history books for thirty-five years, but there's no way I'm letting a giant fish stop me!" Nick exclaimed, shifting into battle stance as the skyfish Girania watched intently.

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki gulped. "Okay, so anyone mind telling us where's that thing's weak point?" Satoshi blinked twice, both worried and confused.

_That thing..._

"Well, here's a hint," Moriko stated, hands on hips. "Aim for _anywhere_ besides its mouth." Nick looked at her. "Looks like you don't change all _that_ much Mori-chan..."

Moriko huffed. "Do you want to be swallowed by that thing? It's not made to eat things like people for some reason, so it might just spit you back out... But still, I can't say it's _pleasant_..." Nick just nodded a little.

_As usual, she has a point..._

"As for the weak spot..." Moriko started, gazing at the creature with an odd glimmer in her eyes. Akemi perked up, staring at her friend, a slight blush on her cheeks. _Moriko-chan..._

Suddenly she pointed at the sky fish's forehead, where a glowing dot could be seen. "My bet is, it's right there!!" Nick nodded, and then, Girania dived.

"Ah!! Where'd it go?!" Onpu wondered, looking around for the giant skyfish. "It must be below us, but... but..." Akemi stammered. "But.. _Where_?"

Yuki bit her lip, and closed her eyes tightly.

"If only Saiki-kun were here... He'd detect that thing's movements in a millisecond!!"

Both Onpu and Moriko looked surprised but quickly shook it off, and Akemi blushed a little. _Yuki-chan... Does she...? No..._

Hearing this, Satoshi perked up. _Huh..._ He closed his eyes. _I may not be him, but in the very least for Yuki-chan... __**Focus**__..._

The Girania moved beneath them, Satoshi trying hard to focus on its movements and predict the next time it would resurface... Until...

"Nick, hurry! To your right!" he called out, surprising Nick, who quickly obeyed. Sure enough, the Girania jumped out at them, and he was ready.

Nick quickly jumped, holding up Hikari.

"_Diamond Tempest!!_"

Aiming at its weak point, like Moriko had pointed out, he struck, and almost immediately on the impact, Girania...

...turned into a bunch of colorful spheres...

"Uh, wow... Pretty..." Yuki couldn't help but state.

Nick looked confused for a few moments before Moriko shouted out, "NICK-KUN, GET YOUR BUTT OVER THERE AND DESTROY THOSE THINGS BEFORE THEY REFORM!!!!" "Eh?" Nick stated right before the spheres started glowing.

"Oh, no!" Akemi cried. "Girania, it's..." Before the crystal witch finished her sentence, the spheres became Girania again, and boy, did he look _mad_.

"Kellysi-chan, look out!" Onpu exclaimed when she noticed it dive at him. Moriko, taking no chances, quickly shoved Nick out of the way right before the Girania hit its target, once again under.

Nick got up, rubbing his head a little. "Wow, thanks Mori-chan..." Moriko however, just slapped him across the face.

"Nick, you idiot!" she scolded, looking angry. "Why didn't you do anything?!" Nick blushed a little, surprised. "How was I supposed to know it did that?"

"It was only the most obvious thing since Yuki-chan's crush on Saiki-kun!!" Moriko snapped. Realizing what she said, her eyes widened and she just looked shocked.

However, she regained her poise at Yuki's confused look. _Looks like she doesn't know yet..._

"Anyway, Satoshi-kun, where would the Girania strike next?" Nick asked.

Satoshi looked around. "Nick, I'm not a miracle maker... Sensing movements is something new to me..." Yuki sighed. "Aw Satoshi-kun, I bet Saiki-kun..."

"It's over there," he said quickly, hastily cutting off the black witch. Nick nodded, and once again spotted the Girania, a little farther away than he was told.

Nick just shrugged this off and once again raised Hikari.

"DIAMOND TEMPEST!!!" he shouted, slashing at its weak point, making it once again burst into multi-colored spheres.

"HURRY!!" Moriko shouted, hotly. Nick just nodded. "Got it, Mori-chan!"

Without further distractions, Nick began slashing at the spheres as fast as he could before they started glowing.

"Get out of there Nick-kun!!" Yuki yelled. Her older brother nodded and jumped out before the spheres once again formed the Girania, only a tad smaller.

Girania roared before diving yet again.

"Way to go!" Moriko shouted. "Now just continue on with that pattern, got it Nick-kun?!"

Akemi nodded. "Do your best, okay? We believe in you!!"

Nick just smiled back. "Arigatou, Akemi-chan!"

"Okay..." he started, preparing himself. "Satoshi-kun, where is he now?" Satoshi perked up. "That's strange..."

"What's strange, Satoshi-kun?" Yuki asked, concerned. "Are you okay?"

"No, it's that... I don't... sense it..."

Yuki's eyes widened. _What?_

That's when it hit Moriko. _Is the Girania...?!_

"NICK-KUN!! ABOVE YOU!!!"

Nick perked up and looked above, only to see Girania above him, diving. _How did it..._

Quickly brushing it off, Nick jumped right out of the way before the Girania hit him. Panting, he waited for it to resurface. "How...?" he wondered.

Satoshi thought for a few moments. _My senses aren't that keen, so he could of slipped through, but if that's the case... I have to focus a lot harder.._

Yuki looked around, trying to find some hint of the Girania herself. _I gotta to pay close attention, so that thing doesn't end up swallowing up Nick-kun..._

Nick prepared himself. "Yosh..."

"Nick-kun, hold it!" Moriko called out, rushing towards him. "What is it Mori-chan?" he asked. Moriko just grinned. "For luck..."

With that she took his hand and placed a flower-shaped charm with the symbols of all the Ojamajos on its pedals on it. "I meant to give this to your future self, but it's hard to talk to him these days, so I'll settle for you."

Moriko winked. "This is because I can no longer trust you handling the Girania on your own, but hurry up and put it on, okay?" Nick blinked twice and put it around his neck.

"Thanks, Mori-chan..."

Moriko nodded. "No problem..."

"NICK-KUN!!! MORIKO-CHAN!!!" Yuki shouted. "THE GIRANIA!!!"

Nick quickly got in front of Moriko in a protective stance. "Mori-chan, get back!" Sure enough, the Girania leapt forward and Nick struck.

"_Diamond Tempest!!_"

Once again, the Girania burst into spheres, and Nick took no time slashing away spheres like there was no tomorrow.

"Just a few more!" Onpu yelled. "It looks like Moriko-chan's lucky charm paid off!" Akemi exclaimed, happily. Moriko smirked. "Was there any doubt?"

However, the spheres quickly reformed and Nick jumped back. "Just one more shot..."

"Allow _me_ to do the honors..."

"Hm?"

Nick looked surprised as Yuki walked forward, smiling as she went. "Nick-kun, you had your fun, so let me finish him off!" Nick just smiled. "Alright, Yuki-chan."

Yuki held up her Poron, and spun it around.

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii! Girania, come to me!"_

Responding to the spell, the Girania charged forward, Yuki just grinned and tossed her poron straight for its forehead, making it burst into the rest of the spheres.

Yuki turned to Nick and he nodded, doing away with the last of the spheres, which immediately began glowing.

"W-What?"

"You did it, you defeated Girania!!!" Onpu exclaimed. "WAY TO GO YOU TWO!!!" Satoshi looked a little surprised. _Yuki-chan sure is strong... It's strange..._

Yuki smiled at Satoshi, and shot a peace sign. "And Nick-kun couldn't have done it without you, Satoshi-kun!!"

That's when the other Ojamajos got a look at him, them all gasping in surprise.

"Oh my, you look just like Saiki-kun!" Akemi exclaimed, covering her mouth. Satoshi laughed a little. "I've been told..."

"But..." Onpu started. "_How_?" At that, he looked confused. "How?"

"Akemi-chan, Onpu-chan, I need to speak to you two..." Moriko quickly intervened, pulling them away by their arms.

"I wonder what that was all about..." Yuki wondered. Nick glanced at a perplexed Satoshi with a thoughtful look.

_Maybe... Just maybe..._

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"But why?!" Akemi exclaimed, once Moriko had explained everything. "But why?!" Moriko shook her head. "Who knows? But... But look at him! How can there be any other reason?"

"But... But she would of told us!!" Onpu shot back, as disbelieving as Akemi. "SHE WOULD HAVE!!!"

"_NO_, she wouldn't!!" Moriko yelled. "Think about it, the her we _knew_ would have... But now, no! She would of only made things harder on herself!"

Onpu and Akemi were silent.

"Face it... She's different from before..." Moriko whispered. "She wasn't planning on _ever_ telling us..."

"But... what about past Yuki-chan?" Akemi wondered. "Should we tell her?" "If we told her, we'd have to tell her everything.." Onpu murmured. "We can't..."

Moriko nodded, and smiled sadly.

"Glad to see... We all understand... Let her find out on her own..."

"Yes..." Onpu agreed, softly. "She'd be..."

"...much happier this way..." Akemi finished quietly. "But I hope..."

"...That we're doing the right thing..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"So, Gargos. They have destroyed Girania. You told me that there would be no more failures."

"I am not worried, Master Tabuu. Girania was merely a peon compared to the other Guardians they will face. I have no doubt that Chamelan will easily dispose of them."

"For your sake, he had better."

Suddenly, Tabuu's emotionless face registered something that Gargos couldn't decipher.

"Is something the matter, Master?"

"The black witch apprentice... she has no idea of the fate that befell her beloved..."

At this revelation, Gargos smiled wickedly. "If we can break her heart again, we may have another shot at acquiring the divine power that rests within her."

Tabuu seemed surprised at this. "Divine power? Explain, Gargos."

"I can still remember when I was working for the Delegates of Darkness almost thirty-five years ago. I encountered the 'little' brats back when they were still runaways, and my former partner Black Waltz Three..."

"Did someone call my name?"

"Oh, god, not you again," Gargos groaned at the voice of Black Waltz Three himself.

"I'll take it from here, Gargos," Waltz stated. "I had killed the little boy with my special powers, but when the girl saw the sight, she released what we believe is the fabled 'divine power'. I would have been able to extract it from her had it not been for... gah!!"

Waltz was cut off when Gargos grabbed him by the throat. "I told you, Waltz, I never want to see your ridiculous face again!!"

"And yet you still called on me back when the brats were runaways," Waltz continued, unfazed at the position he was in. "I really don't think you're in any position to be threatening me, Gargos. ESPECIALLY in front of the master himself."

"So, if the boy was killed, how is he still here now?" Tabuu asked.

"I honestly have no idea, master," Gargos explained. "But if we can just break the news to the girl in just the right way, we may have the opportunity to make the Subspace Army completely invincible!!"

"Excellent, Gargos," Tabuu commended. "That power may be just what we need."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"What the heck was that?" a familiar voice exclaimed as the dust from the battle with Girania finally settled.

Nick and Yuki instantly perked up at this voice.

"Wait. Is that...?" Nick wondered.

"Wait a minute! If she looks like me, that can only mean..." Yuki noted.

The new arrival immediately noticed their curious looks, and thus performed a cute pose. "The one and only!! Sayoko Kurumi, at your service!!"

Nick had to laugh at the cute pose Kurumi had struck. "It seems that you haven't changed much, Kurumi-chan," Nick stated.

"I could say the same for you, little Nick-kun," Kurumi responded.

Nick looked a little shocked. "Why is everyone calling me little all of a sudden?! I'm fourteen years old, for pete's sake!" he exclaimed.

Kurumi couldn't help but giggle. "It's the best way to tell you and your future self apart."

Nick immediately calmed down. "OH..."

"So, how'd you and your sis get here?" Kurumi wondered.

"Our future selves," Nick explained. "They said they needed our help with the Subspace Army. We just took care of one of their Guardians, actually."

"You mean Girania?" Kurumi wondered. "I didn't think he'd ever go down!!"

"Wait until you hear this, Kurumi-chan," Satoshi stated. "Yuki-chan, over here, actually defeated one of the Four Heavenly Kings!"

Kurumi's eyes nearly bugged out at this statement. "No WAY!!"

Yuki could only nod as Kurumi walked up and ruffled Yuki's hair affectionately. "Good for you, Yuki-chan."

_Seems like everyone's happy to see us_, Nick thought. Just then, he felt something strange in the nearby air.

_No... not him again..._

"So, what's it like being a famous model, Kurumi-chan?" Yuki asked.

"It's pretty fun, but there's a lot of hot-blooded guys around this area, if you know what I mean," Kurumi stated. This caused Yuki to blush a deep crimson.

"I guess that would be expected when a girl's as famous as you are, Kurumi-chan," Moriko stated, not at all embarrassed at what Kurumi was referring to.

However, before Yuki could get a word in edgewise, a massive column of darkness appeared in front of everyone, and out from it came none other than...

"Gargos!!" Nick and Yuki exclaimed.

"Well, well, little brats. It's nice to see you still remember me," Gargos stated menacingly.

"Why don't you cut the crap, Gargos?!" Nick exclaimed. "Out with it! Why the hell are you here?!"

"She should know better than anyone," Gargos stated, pointing to Yuki.

"What does this have to do with me?" Yuki wondered.

"And your little lover-boy," Gargos added. Yuki instantly perked up at this.

"What did you do with Saiki-kun?!" Yuki exclaimed. "If you kidnapped him again, I swear you're going to pay!!"

"Hmph. I have no further need for him anyway," Gargos taunted.

"Why?" Yuki asked, confused.

"Because, my dear brat... he's dead."

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

_Eh?_

Yuki turned blank. "He's... dead?"

_Saiki-kun... dead? Gone...? I knew Momo-chan, but I could never imagine... Saiki-kun.... No, anyone but Saiki-kun... He can't be... HE HAS TO BE LYING!!! Saiki-kun... My Saiki-kun..._

"You LIAR!!!" she yelled. "I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU!!!! YOU HONESTLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT?!?!?!?" Satoshi looked just as surprised. "Yuki-chan..."

Gargos then spotted him, and smirked. "If you don't believe me, look at the boy behind you." Yuki perked up and looked at Satoshi.

"What... What does Satoshi-kun have to do with this...?"

All the Future Ojamajos were silent.

"So... You know..." Kurumi stated in a soft voice. Satoshi's eyes widened. _What?_

"Brat, that kid... Just why do you think he looks like your lover, but with brown eyes?" Gargos explained with a smirk. "We were looking for him since he's the last link..."

"What?! But that's..." Satoshi hastily cut Yuki off.

"Not true!! Yuki-chan couldn't be... She wouldn't be!!!"

"Wouldn't be...?" Yuki repeated. "Satoshi-kun, what is he...?" Gargos laughed. "She didn't tell you? That brat is from the past, and she's who you refuse to believe she is..."

"Uso..." he whispered in pure disbelief. Satoshi quickly turned to Yuki, his eyes glimmering.

"Yuki-chan..." he nearly begged, desperate. "Please tell me... _Are_ you from this time period?" Yuki perked up, and looked down guiltily.

"I never planned on telling you... Till much, much later... But... no... Both Nick-kun and I..."

"_No_... Y-Your last name... Yuki-chan, is it Shinoya?"

She nodded. "Yep... But Satoshi-kun... That doesn't change anything... does it?" the black witch asked, a bit confused. Satoshi backed away from her.

"Yuki-chan..." he started. "Don't you know...? It's no wonder then... why I look like him..."

"Eh, what does Satoshi-kun mean?" Yuki wondered. Nick gasped.

"So, it's true..."

Satoshi turned dazed, looking down. "Yuki-chan... Saiki is indeed, dead..." Yuki's brown eyes widened.

"Satoshi-kun, don't tell me you actually BELIEVE that freak?!"

"You don't get it..." he whispered. "I would know... Better than anyone, because I witnessed it myself..."

"But... Satoshi-kun doesn't know Saiki-kun..." Yuki stated, still confused.

"Yuki-chan, I didn't understand then... I didn't know you weren't from here... Don't you get it? Don't you understand? Or did your future self not tell you?"

Yuki perked up. "Tell me...? Saiki-kun's not... He couldn't be..."

Satoshi's lips formed a rueful smile. "Yuki-chan, you're an idiot, you know that? Why do you think I look like him?"

"I don't know... Same reason for me and Kurumi-chan...?"

"No... See here Yuki-chan... Saiki is... my _otou-san_."

Yuki's confused gaze turned blank. "Otou-san...? But Satoshi-kun... Then that would mean... That you..." He nodded.

"The mother of course Yuki-chan, is _you_."

"No way..." Yuki stated. "Satoshi-kun... Future me said we weren't married, she never even mentioned..."

"I'm not surprised..." Satoshi answered, quickly. "Okaa-san never told anyone, it was supposed to be a secret, I was anyway... Yuki-chan..."

Nick perked up. "Satoshi-kun..."

"Yuki-chan..." he continued, laughing a bit. "I'm a mistake. It wasn't supposed to happen... But either way, I was still born. It was during the war itself, and you never suspected... Otou-san didn't either... But that didn't change a thing, I lived like a regular kid of two magic users... _Shikashi_... that all changed... When Otou-san was _killed_ protecting us... Yuki-chan, he's been dead for over a decade. _Gone_."

Yuki let this sink in: if what he said was true...

She looked around. "D-Did you know?!" Onpu nodded, sadly.

"We weren't going to tell you... But..."

"It's true," Kurumi responded, gently. "We didn't know about Satoshi-kun... But... it was obvious.. from the beginning..."

_No... No..._

Yuki's breath quickened as her world came crashing down, and her eyes turned lost.

_It's true... He's really gone... He...!! Saiki-kun, the Saiki-kun who promised he'd always be by my side... He's gone... I lost him... He's... d-d-d..._

Her eyes filled with tears.

_....dead. My Saiki-kun has been taken from me.. My precious Saiki-kun... My dear Saiki-kun! I loved him so... Yet..._

Clenching her fists, a dark aura surrounded her.

_I couldn't protect him... The way he'd always tell me he'd try to protect me... He always told me how he sometimes wished he could be in Nick-kun's place with that embarrassed yet gentle smile of his... Sure, I love my older brother, more than anything... But Saiki-kun.._

Her mouth went dry.

_He possesses the other part of my heart... He's precious... more precious than anything... I loved him... I loved him..._

Gargos smirked. "Looks like I finally got your divine power, brat." Satoshi perked up. "Divine power? Sou na..."

Nick looked surprised. "Yuki-chan..."

Yuki looked up in pure anger. "You are going to _pay_ for taking Saiki-kun away from me..." Gargos simply brushed this off. "I'm a lot stronger than you think, you little brat."

"Whatever!" Focusing her energy, Yuki glowed complete energy and her two angel wings spread out from her back. "Alright..."

Flying up, she quickly fired a rally of punches, Gargos blocking every single one.

"Give up."

Angry, Yuki backed away. "Give me one good reason!!" Gargos laughed. "I hoped you would say that."

Without further ado, he shot an energy wave. Yuki braced herself, but to her surprise, it went right past her. Instead it was aimed for...

"_SATOSHI-KUN_!!!"

Satoshi froze. _Is this the same way...?_

"SATOSHI-KUN!!!" Yuki yelled again, scrambling up ahead to take the hit, herself. Satoshi's eyes widened at the sight of his future mother.

Yuki fell to the ground, panting. _That was ten times stronger... Than I thought..._

"Yuki--" Satoshi started to call, but stopped, frowning. Yuki perked up. "Satoshi-kun..."

"YUKI-CHAN!!!!" Nick yelled, rushing to his sister. "Are you..."

"It's fine..." Yuki replied, still staring at Satoshi. "I'm not that hurt..."

_Satoshi-kun..._ she wondered, getting up. _Does he...? Could he...?_

She got up and stared at Gargos again. _There's no way I could defeat him... Not with my current power... He's a lot stronger than in the past..._

Gargos cracked an evil smile. "Have you already realized that it's hopeless..." Yuki tightened her fists.

_Saiki-kun... I...._

"GET AWAY FROM HER!!!!" a familiar voice shouted. Everyone looked in surprise as Gargos was hit with an extremely powerful shot of dark energy.

"Future me, Future Nick-kun!" Yuki called out, almost in relief. Future Yuki grinned.

"Looks like we came just in time..."

"_Okaa-san_..."

"Eh?"

Future Yuki perked up and noticed Satoshi, and immediately gasped. "Satoshi... kun..." "Okaa-san..." he whispered again, in complete disbelief. _What is she...?_

Future Nick looked a little confused on what the heck was going on, but shrugged it off when he saw his sister staring daggers at Gargos.

"You're going down, Gargos..."

Gargos cursed, before getting up. "Just when I was so close..."

Quickly, he vanished. "Wha? COWARD!!!" future Yuki shouted.

Yuki fell to her knees again, her angel wings disappearing, tears falling from her eyes. "Saiki-kun... My Saiki-kun..." Her future self's eyes widened. _Oh no..._

Taking no time, she rushed up to her past self. "Who... Who told her?" Her friends remained silent, and she knew the answer. She was silent, and then glanced at Satoshi, who immediately blushed under her gaze.

"And _you_... I thought you were dead...." she stated, quietly. "You... have a lot of explaining..." Yuki perked. "W-Wait a minute..." she started, getting up.

She walked up to Satoshi, who just looked down, unable to meet her eyes. "Satoshi-kun..." she started, taking his hand. Satoshi quickly slapped her hand away.

"...Get away from me."

Yuki's eyes widened. "Satoshi-kun, just because... That doesn't change anything, does it?" Satoshi shook his head. "De... _kirai_..."

Yuki froze. "Satoshi-kun..." she started, only for him to disappear. "Satoshi--!!" Her shoulders drooped, and she looked at her future self.

"Doushite...?"

Her future self looked away. "Complicated..." Yuki's fists tightened. "I can't believe you... How did this happen?! S-Saiki-kun... Satoshi-kun... Why didn't you tell me?!"

No answer.

Yuki just fell to her knees, sobbing.

"This is all... your fault..."

Her future self looked at her before where Satoshi once was.

"Oh Satoshi-kun..." she started.

"Hontou ni... gomen-nasai..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Nick shot a glare off at his future self before walking up to his little sister.

"You going to be okay, Yuki-chan?"

"Just hold me, Nick-kun... please?"

Nick happily embraced his little sister. "Anything for you, Yuki-chan..."

As Yuki returned the embrace, Nick glared at future Yuki. "You _know _I'm going to get you two for this..."

Future Nick immediately blushed.

"Why didn't you tell her?" Nick wondered.

"Because of the way she's reacting to it," future Yuki admitted. "I've already lost a lot of my smiles. I didn't want that to happen to little me... not this soon..."

"It's just like what happened with Momoko, isn't it?" Nick demanded.

"She died protecting me from that freak," future Nick admitted.

"I already said it, but: _why didn't you tell us?!_" Nick exclaimed, never known for being patient.

"Because we were afraid of how you would act," future Nick explained. "We didn't want you to hate us!"

"Who ever said that?" Nick noted. At this, future Yuki breathed a sigh of relief.

"Yuki-chan may need a bit of time to deal with this, but I'll help her with that," Nick explained. "That's what a big brother is supposed to do."

"You must really love her," Onpu wondered, blushing slightly.

"Ah, I gotta love Yuki-chan. Who else would?" Nick stated. "I mean, besides the obvious."

Future Yuki couldn't help but laugh at this. _I haven't laughed in so long..._

"Look, I'll take care of Yuki-chan, okay?" Nick asked. "And if I see that freak Gargos, he's going to get one hell of a butt-kicking. It's what Momoko and Saiki-kun would want, right?"

Future Yuki nodded, drying a few tears out of her eyes. A bright smile found its way to her lips, to which future Nick smiled himself.

"Now THAT'S the Yuki-chan I remember," future Nick stated.

_I'd almost forgotten..._

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"Those little brats... I almost had them..."

"I am beginning to grow impatient, Gargos. You told me that they would be destroyed."

"No worries, Master Tabuu. I am nowhere near finished with those brats."

Gargos pressed a button on his communicator watch.

"Waltz, dispatch the Ifrit Golem and crush all of them."

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About ten minutes had passed. Nick looked down at his little sister.

"You feeling better, Yuki-chan?" Nick asked.

"A little," Yuki replied. "I'm still upset that Saiki-kun's gone, but it's still comforting to know that he died protecting me. That's what he would have wanted..."

"See, Yuki-chan? He was another person who'd gladly give his life to ensure your happiness," Nick explained, holding Yuki tightly.

"Thanks, Nick-kun..."

Future Yuki walked up to her past self, ruffling her hair affectionately. "Try to stay strong for his sake, okay, Yuki-chan?"

Yuki looked up at her future self, tears streaming from her eyes and a smile on her face. "All right. For Saiki-kun's sake."

However, before future Yuki could say anything else, a massive rumbling began shaking the city.

"How many of these stupid rumblings ARE there?!" Nick exclaimed, standing his ground while holding Yuki close to him.

Onpu quickly let out a gasp of shock, pointing towards the city. A massive robot with no legs was crawling about the city, intent on crushing it.

"What is that?!" Nick wondered.

"The Ifrit Golem," Akemi answered. "One of the Subspace Army's Four Heavenly Kings."

"I trashed the Sand Scorpion not too long ago," Yuki stated. "Whoever's running the Subspace Army must be getting desperate."

Yuki hopped out of Nick's grasp, her Jewelry Poron in a battle stance. "All right, then! I'm ready for this freak!!"

However, Yuki was quickly shushed by Nick. "My turn this time, Yuki-chan. You had your fun with the Sand Scorpion," Nick stated.

Yuki blushed madly as Nick stepped up.

"He's nuts!" Onpu exclaimed. "He can't take on such a powerful entity!"

"Just believe in Nick-kun, okay, Onpu-chan?" Akemi reminded. "If Yuki-chan was able to defeat of the Four Heavenly Kings, Nick-kun should have no trouble with this."

"I sincerely hope you're right, Akemi-chan."

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"NICK-KUN!!!" Moriko shouted. "DON'T FORGET MY LUCKY CHARM!!!"

Nick blinked twice before looking down at the charm the future jade witch had given him, which sparkled in the light.

"Lucky charm...?" his future self repeated, a bit confused. "Since you were too 'busy' every time I asked you for a moment..." Moriko explained, using air quotes on the word 'busy'. At that, he blushed.

"_Oh_."

Yuki huffed. "I hope Nick-kun knows what he's doing..." "He does..." her future self reassured her. "I know he does..."

"Huh..." she stated. "Future me is so sure..." Smiling a bit, future Yuki turned to her past self.

"Of course."

Suddenly they were interrupted by yet another rumbling sound, as everyone stood their ground. Nick quickly took no time, leaping into the air.

"_DIAMOND TEMPEST!!!_"

With that, he brought down Hikari on the Ifrit Golem, which staggered back after impact, but otherwise quite unarmed.

"Careful little Nick-kun!" Kurumi called out. "The Ifrit Golem is pretty durable!"

"No worries, Kurumi-chan!" Nick yelled. "The bigger they are, the harder they fall!"

Kurumi sighed a bit. _I don't think he gets it..._

"Maybe there's a way to break that thing's shell..." Nick pondered. "But what?" The Golem let out a war cry and Nick took caution.

_Alright..._

"_Diamond Tempest!!_" he yelled, once again slashing at the beast, making it roar and attempt to slam down on Nick, who quickly dodged.

"Not even dented!!" he exclaimed, angrily.

At this, Moriko huffed. "You idiot, look for a _weak_ spot! Every knight's armor has ONE unprotected spot!!"

Nick perked up. _She's right..._

Mind made up, Nick quickly searched, eventually seeing one soft-looking piece on iron on that thing's, possibly neck.

"Bingo! _Diamond Tempest!!_"

Striking its presumed weak spot, the monster let out a painful roar as it came down. Some actually looked surprised.

"I-Is it...?" Onpu questioned, still not able to believe what she was seeing. "Is it actually dead...?"

"I hope so..." Akemi replied, letting her shoulders drooped.

Nick wiped off his forehead, sighing. He quickly flinched when he noticed the Golem getting up slowly.

"Aw man, doesn't this thing ever give up?!"

"Apparently it's stubborn... like you," Moriko stated, folding her arms. "Baka, did you really expect it to be that easy?" Both Nick and his future self blushed at that.

"Oooo, I was so sure it was down for the count, too!" Yuki exclaimed, annoyed. "NICK-KUN!!! DON'T YOU DARE GIVE UP ON ME!!! GANBATTE, GANBATTE!!!!"

Nick had to crack a smile and held up a thumb. "I'll be sure to, Yuki-chan!" Turning his attention back to the Golem, he took caution.

_Okay... How do I defeat this thing? Keep hitting its weak point till it falls for good?_

He looked at Golem again, searching for its weak point, and once again jumping up and bringing Hikari down upon it.

"Take THIS!!!"

The Golem staggered back, but continued. "Alright, so you are stubborn..." Nick admitted, raising Hikari.

"_DIAMOND TEMPEST!!!_"

Not taking anymore chances, he jammed Hikari into the Ifrit Golem's weak point, and it let out a roar before falling to the ground and exploding in a bright white light.

"YOU DID IT!!!" future Yuki yelled, happily. "WAY TO GO LITTLE NICK-KUN!!!"

"Stop calling me that! I'm fourteen, alright? Sheesh!" Nick groaned, retrieving Hikari.

Onpu sighed. "Okay, but what are we supposed to call you...?" Both Nick and his future self were silent for a few moments.

"...No idea."

"God, you two are really infuriating..." Moriko noted, bonking Nick on the head. "Never changed a bit, always speaking before he thinks..."

She then grinned at him, rubbing where she'd hit him.

"But all in all Nick-kun, it's amazing how you're _still_ cute."

At that, he flushed red. "Mori-chan..."

Yuki giggled. "Cute... I'm still cute right?" Her future self nodded, laughing a bit.

"Yeah, I..."

She grew silent.

_...called Satoshi-kun that all the time..._

"Oh Satoshi-kun..." she couldn't help but whispered. "Where has he gone... That boy... Disappearing for over ten years and appearing just like that, and going before I could say anything... I see why Saiki-kun worried for his safety like he did mine..."

"Ne, future me?" Yuki began to wonder, now a little sad. "Why does Satoshi-kun hate me? I know it's kinda my fault Saiki-kun..."

"It's _my_ fault, not yours," her future self corrected. "I was irresponsible, thoughtless, _careless_, and stupid. Not once had I ever thought about Satoshi-kun after Saiki-kun was... gone... I couldn't bear looking at him, since he resembled his dad so much..."

"Well, I know one thing..." Yuki stated. "I'm not going to make that mistake... I'll be a proper mama to Satoshi-kun... _and_ prevent Saiki-kun from being taken from me." Her future self looked surprised for a few moments.

"Little me..."

"I'm sorry," she apologized. "I still can't say he's... d-dead... It's so sad, I can't bear it!!" Future Yuki shook her head. "No, your Saiki-kun is still alive, back in your time period, wondering where you are... My Saiki-kun is the one who's gone and I..."

"...And I never got a chance to tell him anything..."

Yuki tilted her head, a bit confused. "Like what?" "Like... How much I appreciated him being with me, telling him how much I loved him, apologizing for dragging him into this whole mess, and how _happy_ I was... to be with him..." She sighed.

"We _were_ planning on getting married, as soon as the war was over. We'd be a _family_... The four of us... Oh!"

Surprised, she covered her mouth. "That..."

"Satoshi-kun already told me... I have two children in the future, huh?" Yuki shook her head. "I'll protect Mana-chan in the future too, okay? No need to worry..."

Future Yuki smiled a bit. "Yeah... Thanks, little me."

"SPEAKING of Satoshi-kun," Kurumi started, butting in on the two's conversation. "Shouldn't we look for him?"

"Oh yeah that's right..." future Nick started. "He's about as unthinking as Yuki-chan..." Nick blinked twice.

"Huh... I wonder who he takes after..."

"Saiki-kun in looks, mostly," Onpu stated, matter-of-factly. "And Yuki-chan in acts, mostly." Akemi laughed a little.

"M-Mm... Yeah..."

Yuki groaned. "Correction, Kurumi-chan. _I'll_ be the one who'll look for him!"

"At least let me come with you..." her future self insisted. But Yuki just shook her head.

"Forget it, I think there's more chance he'd listen to me... Besides... He's a gentlemen!"

Future Yuki laughed a little. _That part he got from Saiki-kun..._

"Nick-kun," Yuki started. "Please go on without me, I HAVE to find Satoshi-kun! See, if I can't have Saiki-kun, I'll have to settle for his son... But Satoshi-kun's my friend too, and I need to get him back for helping me find you!" Nick nodded.

"Alright, but be sure to get back... Okay?"

Yuki nodded, smiling brightly.

"I'll be sure to! Future me, take care of Nick-kun, alright?"

Her future self sighed, mumbling something along the lines of "Alright,", and Yuki went out on her way.

"Be careful! The Subspace Army is still out there!!" Akemi called out.

"Find Satoshi-kun, and be sure to bring him home okay?" future Yuki called out. "I need to speak to him, too!"

Soon, Yuki was gone and the remaining started out on their way as well.

"You think she'll be alright?" Moriko wondered. Nick nodded.

"Of course, she's Yuki-chan, isn't she?"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Meanwhile, while all of this was transpiring, we pan up to the tip of a needle that hangs from the top of a very tall skyscraper. We can see a girl with bright golden hair tied up into two ponytails, wearing a pink shirt and blue Capri pants. She had the brightest green eyes anyone had ever seen. She was standing perfectly on the tip of the skyscraper needle, not even falling or anything.

"She's out there somewhere..." the girl states, floating into the air as if she'd been doing it her entire life. "I'll find you. I promise."

With that, she zipped off through the night skies.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"The Ifrit Golem has been destroyed, Gargos. Your constant failures are actually starting to get to me."

"Oh, why don't you shove it, Waltz?!"

"I wouldn't want to know what the master would do to you if he finds out that the second Heavenly King has been dispatched by a bunch of brats."

This was pretty much all Gargos could take.

"WHY DO YOU THINK I'M ACTING LIKE THIS, YOU FREAK?! We all know the kind of power Master Tabuu has. I'm STILL trying to get that last mental image out of my head of what he did to our last betrayer..."

"That's why I'm saying that you had better step up the plans if we're going to please the master. One more failure and you can consider yourself space dust," Waltz explained.

At this, Gargos smirked menacingly. "That's why I'm confident that Captain Bemoth will do the job. He may be small, but he has a speed that is unparalleled in this or any dimension. After all, 'you can't catch what you can't see', right?"

"For your sake, Gargos, you had better be right about that," Waltz noted. "The Subspace Emissary will not be pleased if they hear what's been going on."

"Just admit that you're worried about the master, too," Gargos taunted. "Send out Donbalon with the Bemoth just in case. We can no longer take anything to chance when it comes to those brats."

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"No way!! Did she REALLY do that?!" Nick couldn't help but exclaim. Nick and the others were passing the time while waiting for Yuki to return with Satoshi by telling some funny stories. Right now, Nick was listening to Akemi's account of one of future Yuki's mishaps.

"Every word of it was true, Nick-kun," Akemi noted.

Future Yuki was blushing like mad. "You didn't have to bring THAT up, did you, Akemi-chan?"

Akemi couldn't help but giggle at this. "Sorry, Yuki-chan, I just couldn't resist!!"

Nick was just about to start telling his own story when three streaks of light, one orange, one purple, and one cerulean, zipped by, causing everyone to nearly fall to the ground.

"What was that?" Nick wondered.

"Probably the Rogues," Kurumi explained. "That's what they call them, anyway. You see, there's a sport known as airboard racing here. It's basically like skateboarding in zero gravity, and it's very popular in this time. Those three girls have been considered the absolute masters at the sport."

Nick's curiosity was piqued as the three streaks of light zoomed by again, and Nick got a good look at one of the riders. "Wait a minute. I know those girls!"

Nick hopped to his feet, holding his now-glowing hands into the air. _"Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore!! Let's see an airboard here!!"_

Responding to Nick's call, an airboard similar to the ones used by the three riders appeared in the air. Nick grabbed it, hopped onto it, and zoomed off in pursuit of the streaks.

Moriko laughed again. "That's Nick-kun, all right... hasn't changed a bit..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"HEY!!" Nick exclaimed, slowly catching up to the three riders.

"Who's on our tail now, Lily-chan?" the owner of the cerulean airboard asked, a girl with short, fluffy purple hair and amethyst eyes.

"It's probably just another fanboy," the owner of the topaz airboard replied, a girl with spiky blonde hair and green eyes that resembled Nick's in a way. "Let's turn on the gravity power and outrun him."

"Wait a minute..." the owner of the amethyst airboard stated, a girl with long, flowing brown hair and golden eyes. "Nick-kun? Is that you?"

Nick smiled at this. "Good to see that YOU still remember me, Ellie-chan."

At this, Lily Yumehara spun around on her airboard, turning to face Nick. It was only then that she recognized him. "Nick-kun? No way! Is it really you? You look like you haven't aged a day!" Lily exclaimed.

"Long story, Lily-chan," Nick replied. "That issue's been coming up a lot since I got here, actually."

"It's been years, Nick-kun!" Ellie Miyazaki exclaimed, rushing up and embracing Nick. "How've you been doing?"

"I was going to ask you the same question, Babylon Rogues," Nick stated, addressing the three girls as a group. He'd personally gotten to know all three of them when, back in his own time, a mysterious floating continent had appeared in the sky above Misora, and these three lovely ladies had come down from it, hoping to stop a mysterious force known only as the "Lightless Black".

"What have you girls been up to since the Floating Continent disappeared?" Nick wondered.

"Oh, the usual," Mai Shimakaze responded. "We've been travelling the world, just taking in the sights."

"The problem is, when we came back, the Subspace Army had already taken control," Lily continued.

"Yeah, I noticed," Nick replied.

"So, we've been providing aerial reconnaissance for the resistance movement, and we pretty much wipe out any Primids that try to attack from the skies," Lily stated, quite confident as always.

It was just then that Lily noticed someone, namely, the girl we'd seen at the top of the skyscraper, was flying in circles above them. "Hey, little lady! What's with the impromptu gym class redux here?"

"I'm looking for someone," the girl replied. "I think they're here."

With that, the girl landed quite gracefully on the ground, walked up, and embraced Nick. "_Otou-san_..."

Nick was as confused as all get out, until something clicked in his head.

"Um... little girl? By any chance, was your mother's name Momoko Asuka?" Nick wondered.

"Wow, you're good," the girl stated. "I'm Sakura... the daughter of Nick Kelly and Momoko Asuka."

Nick immediately flushed at this revelation. _So we did..._

However, before Nick could ruminate further on this issue, a massive rumbling shook the immediate area.

"What the hell was that?!" Nick exclaimed.

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"SATOSHI-KUN!!!!"

Yuki looked around, hoping to catch even a glance of Satoshi to no avail.

_Where is he...?_

She pouted and once again observed her surroundings. "Satoshi-kun..." she murmured. "Where are you? Come on... I..."

Her voice grew quiet.

"...I want to _see_ you..."

_Oh Satoshi-kun... Where did he go? I.. I'm worried... And not just because he looks so much like my Saiki-kun..._

The black witch sighed, and continued on.

_Satoshi-kun..._

Looking down, she folded her arms.

_I wonder... What happened between him and future me... Was it really so bad for him to treat me like that? Why? I can't seem to piece together that Satoshi-kun with the Satoshi-kun who had so kindly carried me... without a single complaint... I can't even imagine my Saiki-kun... hating me..._

She groaned.

_Okay, now I'm lying... Saiki-kun COULD hate me... But that's... the one thing I'm most afraid of... If I was... Oh man..._

"Now my head hurts..." Yuki mumbled, holding her head, wincing a bit. "Now I just don't know how I feel... To Saiki-kun and Satoshi-kun both... Saiki-kun, without a doubt... But Satoshi-kun... He's precious too!"

_Just how do I...? When I find Satoshi-kun... What..._

She stopped.

_What do I plan on saying to him? What can I say? I don't know what he's been through... And he believes I'm the one who caused him so much pain... but he caused future me pain too, so... So what?_

Her eyelids lowered. "How am I supposed to erase the pain from his heart... I'm not pure like everyone says I am... I try to be, but I'm not..."

Suddenly, she felt an image of Saiki appear in her mind, and she could almost hear his voice ringing in her ears.

"_Sometimes Yuki-chan, just being with you makes me happy."_

_Huh... I wonder... what Saiki-kun meant by that... Sure, he's always flattering when he wants to be, but at that time... His eyes were..._

A smile made its way to her lips.

_So soft... Like he really cared about me... Filled with love and adoration... One thing I loved about him, just the way he looked at me assured me that he loved me.. Like Nick-kun said... He looks at me that way too... _

She giggled. "It makes me feel so warm and bubbly too! But... enough with that, I'm supposed to be looking for Satoshi-kun.."

_Question is... Where..._

"Baka..."

Yuki perked up. "Ah..!!" Not too far away, she could clearly see Satoshi, sulking, resting his head in his arms, so she couldn't even see the expression on his face.

She couldn't help but blush a little, approach him, quickly hide behind a tree before he noticed, and scold herself for being a coward.

"How the heck did I not notice...?" Satoshi rambled on, blushing a bit. "She _looks_ like okaa-san, she ACTS like okaa-san, she smiles brightly like okaa-san does... or did... And she kept chattering on and on about Saiki, who just _HAPPENS_ to have the same name as otou-san! And Saiki's _not_ that common of a name... I mean, there was practically a neon sign saying..."

Yuki laughed a little bit, almost completely agreeing with him about the 'not being able to figure it out' part.

_After all, he looks like Saiki-kun... And has eyes like mine! It WAS pretty obvious... So how could I not know? Am I that dense? Maybe Satoshi-kun got _that_ from me..._

Satoshi sighed, completely unaware of the black witch listening in.

"And to think she was..."

He blushed furiously.

_... So cute.. That angelic face of hers, it makes me nervous..._

Yuki made a "huh" noise and came out of her hiding spot, walking in front of Satoshi and leaning down.

"Satoshi-kun..."

Satoshi nearly freaked as he spun around to come face to face with Yuki's innocent smile.

"Hello," she greeted. "Found you." Satoshi made a look of disgust and quickly looked away.

"Go away."

Yuki sweatdropped. "Oh come on, Satoshi-kun... Talk to me!"

Satoshi ignored her.

"Satoshi-kun, I know you're mad..."

"_Furious_," he corrected. "Be glad I was blessed with _otou-san's_ temper..."

Yuki laughed nervously. "Satoshi-kun, honestly... What happened between you and future me doesn't include me..."

No reply.

"Satoshi-kun... I'm different then what I'll become..." she insisted, smiling reassuringly. "I'm still me. I'm still Yuki. Clueless, ditzy, cute Yuki, who's only Saiki-kun's _girlfriend_... and dear friend."

"What do you know...?" he asked, still not facing her. "I know that you're quibbling like a child!" Yuki snapped. "Honestly Satoshi-kun! In a way, I AM your mom, and I DEMAND that you LOOK at me when you're talking!"

Satoshi huffed. "You're not the boss of me. I'm older than you are."

"Just who do you get _that_ from?!"

"... Can you please go now?"

"No!"

He got up. "Alright, then I'll leave." And with that, he began to walk away.

"_SATOSHI-KUN_!!!"

"What?" he asked as he turned to face her...

_SMACK!!!_

Satoshi rubbed his cheek where he'd been slapped. Hard. He glanced at Yuki, who had an obiviously angry expression.

But he could still see the fact that her hand was trembling.

Yuki's hand dropped to her side as she looked down.

"What have I done... To make you hate me..?"

Satoshi opened his mouth to ansewer but just shook his head, and turned to leave, only to stop when he heard sobbing hiccups, and looked back at Yuki, who just fell to her knees, sobbing.

"What... have I done... Tell me, Satoshi-kun.. Please... Tell me..."

Satoshi's eyes glimmered, guilt washing over him.

"Yuki..." he whispered, reaching out to console her.

His eyes widened in realization, and squeezed his hand before pulling it back, looking away and murmuring "I'm sorry,".

Yuki huffed, tears still flowing from her eyes. "Jerk. Even with me crying in front of you, you're not looking me in the eyes... Really, what did I do?" Satoshi perked up, a bit surprised.

"Yuki..."

Yuki shook her head furiously. "No, no, NO! Call me 'Yuki-chan', like Saiki-kun and Nick-kun do! Is that so hard?" At that, he sighed.

"So... am I just some replacement for him?"

Yuki perked up. "No... Not at all... I mean sure you look like him but... Saiki-kun's a whole lot nicer and more pleasant to be with!"

Satoshi nearly fell backwards, and he blushed madly at this. "Sou ka..." he replied, with narrowed eyes.

"Satoshi-kun... Seriously, why do you hate me?" Yuki asked, puffing her cheeks a bit. "Is this really the same nice guy who carried me on his back till I found Nick-kun..?"

"Because," he responded, simply. "That's for me to know, and you to find out. I'm not telling you, so ask your 'future' self." Yuki booed.

"That's not fair! Not fair at all! Satoshi-kun, I may not know what happened, but the last thing I want is you brooding over it! Satoshi-kun, future kid or not, you're my FRIEND! My friend, friend, _FRIEND_!"

Satoshi glanced at her. "You don't even know much about me... Yuki-chan..."

"So? I know you well enough to know you're a nice person... So please..."

Silence.

"If I go... Promise you won't press for further details about my relationship with you in the future... And... I don't want to talk to okaa-san either... not yet at least."

"As long as you really don't hate me!"

"...Alright."

Smiling brightly, Yuki glomped him. "I'm so happy!" Satoshi blushed at the affectionate treatment and just fiddled with a strand of the black witch's long ebony hair.

Quickly though, she separated from him, taking his hand in her own soft one.

"Satoshi-kun, come on! Let's go find Nick-kun and the others!"

"Which is..."

Yuki turned blank.

"I have no idea."

Satoshi sighed.

"...Figures..."


	2. Act 2: Realizations and Remembrance

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Um, girls?" Nick wondered. "Why is there an enormous _balloon_ bouncing around the city?"

Lily gasped in shock. "That's no balloon... that's Donbalon!!"

"One of the Subspace Army's Guardians," Ellie explained. "He's a tricky one. If you try to attack him, he'll just bounce off."

"Then we probably have to knock him into something that WILL hurt him," Nick stated, finishing what Ellie was saying. "Question is, how do we get up there? None of us can fly!!"

"Let me help you with that, _otou-san_," Sakura replied, taking Nick's hand into her own. A couple seconds later, Nick suddenly felt like he was floating. He looked down at the ground, and what he saw confirmed it: his feet weren't touching the ground, yet he wasn't falling.

"Whoa... Sakura-chan, how'd you do that?" Nick wondered, quite surprised that his own daughter had such a power.

"I was born with the ability of flight," Sakura explained. "Apparently, my mother gained the very same power after meeting with a dream spirit many years ago, and when I was born, that power was passed on to me."

Nick smiled, understanding completely. _That's Momoko all right..._

"Okay, Nick-kun!!" Lily exclaimed. "We'll take our airboards and distract that inflatable menace, and you and Sakura-chan find something to push him into!"

Nick nodded, and the Rogues shot off on their airboards, soaring towards the bouncing Donbalon.

"Do you see anything that we could knock that circus freak into, Sakura-chan?" Nick asked his daughter.

Sakura began scanning the nearby surroundings, looking for something they could use to their advantage. Just then, she spotted a ring of spikes that had wrapped itself around the perimeter of the city.

"Why don't we try those, _otou-san_?" Sakura noted.

"Good idea, Sakura-chan!" Nick exclaimed as he and Sakura took off into the skies.

Donbalon laughed loudly, bouncing about and easily avoiding each deft swipe from the Babylon Rogues.

"ARGH!!! Stand still, you little inflatable circus reject!!" Lily exclaimed, shaking her fists at Donbalon as he continued to bounce.

"Lily-chan!!" Nick exclaimed. "Try to knock him towards me! I'll take care of things after that!!"

Lily nodded, backing up on Gold Streak and charging straight for Donbalon, impacting quite hard. Donbalon simply bounced away on impact, as expected.

"What was that?" Donbalon taunted. "You know that such feeble attacks can't hurt the likes of me!"

Nick smirked. "That's the idea!!"

Nick quickly latched onto Donbalon's cape before he could react, spinning the inflatable menace around and around.

"Let go of me!!!" Donbalon exclaimed.

Nick grinned widely. "Okay, then, buddy! You asked for it!!"

Hoping his aim would be true, Nick let go of Donbalon's cape, sending him flying towards the ring of spikes. Donbalon couldn't react in time, and went careening off of the spike ring, clutching his backside in pain.

"You little..."

"You want some more, Donbalon?!" Nick challenged, waving his fists in a 'bring it' motion.

That seemed to be all Donbalon could take, as he charged for Nick. The green witch apprentice simply let his well-exercised left foot lash out with the force of a runaway freight train, knocking Donbalon towards Lily, who in turn performed a vicious spin attack with her Gold Streak airboard, thus sending the balloon creature hurtling towards Ellie.

Ellie quickly held up her wrist. _"Gravity Control!!"_

Donbalon was sucked into the gravity field that surrounded Ellie, left to float there helpless.

"Mai-chan! Over to you!!" Ellie exclaimed, thrusting her hand towards Mai, dispersing the gravity field and sending Donbalon spinning towards Mai, who in turn performed her own spin kick that sent Donbalon flying back towards Nick.

"All right, balloon freak, let's dance!!" Nick exclaimed, backflipping into the air and slamming into Donbalon with his flying foot, sending him careening into the spikes once more.

"Okay, girls, I think we've got him on the run now!" Nick exclaimed, taking account of how damaged Donbalon was now.

"That doesn't mean I'm done for yet!" Donbalon shot back, now quite enraged.

"Okay, enough playing around!!" Nick exclaimed, holding his hands towards Donbalon. "You're REALLY starting to piss me off!! _The force of a boy's determination, take this!! Ojamajo Sparkle Spiral!!"_

A rapidly-spinning spiral of sparkling emerald energy burst from Nick's hands, striking Donbalon and sending him rocketing into the spikes one last time.

Not wasting any more time, Nick brought his hands back, an emerald ball of energy forming in his hands.

"Oh, _otou-san..._" Sakura whispered, eyes gleaming with happiness.

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

Nick thrust his hands forward, unleashing an Ojamajo Arrow of Light unlike any he'd ever unleashed before. The beam of emerald light pierced through Donbalon, causing him to explode in a flash of orange light.

Once the scene was clear, Nick had to fight down the urge to laugh. "I hate to say this, but those Subspace Army freaks are making this WAY too easy!"

"We probably shouldn't provoke them, Nick-kun," Ellie advised, always the smart one. "We don't know how they might take it."

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"GARGOS!!!"

Gargos cowered from the enraged Tabuu. "Donbalon has been destroyed. How can these damned kids be so strong?!"

Waltz stepped up, much to Gargos' anger. "If I may make a suggestion, Master Tabuu. Why don't you go down there and show those brats what kind of power they're dealing with? You don't have to kill them just yet. Merely teach them we of the Subspace Emissary are not to be trifled with."

Tabuu pondered this. "You know, for once you actually came up with a good idea, Waltz. Maybe if they see the power I possess, they will abandon their inane little mission."

"So, there, Gargos," Waltz stated, sticking his tongue out at Gargos. He would have strangled Waltz right there and then had Tabuu not been watching.

"Now don't you two kill each other while I am away," Tabuu advised. "That boy paid the price for disloyalty. Either one of you could easily be next."

With that, Tabuu was covered in black feathers. When the feathers disappeared, so had Tabuu.

"Do you see why he scares me so, Waltz, you damned fool?!" Gargos exclaimed once Tabuu was gone. "Such power... such viciousness... I'm just glad he doesn't get angry often... and who did he mean by 'that boy'?"

Waltz simply smirked. "In due time, 'buddy'... in due time."

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Ne Satoshi-kun, haven't we already passed that dead tree?"

"At least five times, but who's counting? Yuki-chan, all we, er you, have been doing lately is going around in circles... Maybe I should rethink things a bit..."

Yuki pouted, waving her arms about. "How come it is, that I always get LOST?!?!?" Satoshi sighed.

"Face it Yuki-chan, we're pretty much stranded, even I don't know my way that well around here..."

"I bet Saiki-kun could get us out of here... He's always able to memorize his path... Every rock, tree, and stump." Yuki groaned. "Saiki-kun's usually the one who runs into me after I get lost from Nick-kun, and always taking my hand and leading me back... Swiftly and quickly..."

Satoshi blushed. "Otou-san always _did_ have a way with directions..." Yuki perked up.

"Ne Satoshi-kun... Is Saiki-kun a good dad?"

A smile formed on Satoshi's face. "The _best_. He always took extra care to be responsible, and it always seemed as if he _knew_ what he was doing..." The black witch laughed a bit.

_Saiki-kun..._

"That sounds just like Saiki-kun... I guess all those years of trying to take good care of Akatsuki-kun really paid off..." Yuki grinned. "This only makes me look more forward to being his wife, after I prevent this war from even _starting_..."

Satoshi looked a bit surprised at this. "Preventing the war? How could you possibly do that?" Yuki winked.

"I have no idea, but I will definitely do it!! That way, Saiki-kun and I will be together forever, and Satoshi-kun..." She grinned.

"Satoshi-kun will have the nice careful and responsible parents he deserves! And not just his parents, aunts... uncles... cousins... friends..."

Satoshi blushed a bit. "Yuki-chan..."

_She..._

The black witch smiled brightly.

"A promise from future mother to future son... And between friends..." She giggled. "Okay?"

Satoshi smiled ruefully. "But if all that happens, I will never meet you... Will I, Yuki-chan? None of this would of happened..."

"But it's for the best, _right_?"

He chuckled a bit. "I guess..."

_But still..._

Suddenly he heard Yuki's voice speak up.

"Okay, there's that tree again..."

Satoshi just sighed at this. "Yuki-chan, where did you _think_ you were?"

"No clue, really. But we ran into the Ifrit Golem and defeated it if that helps." she responded, scratching her cheek.

"Oh..." he uttered before letting this sink in, and looked shocked.

"_NANI_?!"

"Well, it was actually Nick-kun... but it looked so easy!" Yuki exclaimed, grinning. Satoshi blinked in surprise.

"Yuki-chan, you and Nick... sure are _strong_..."

"Our future selves are _stronger_ though right?"

"Well, _yes_... But still..."

"Satoshi-kun, no worries! See, me and Nick-kun could handle anything that comes our way! We'll stop this war, win this war, and still have enough time for lunch!" Yuki joked. "So... no need to worry!"

"Yuki-chan, you obviously have no idea what you're dealing with... The leader of the Subspace Army is a whole lot stronger than you could imagine..." Satoshi stated in a low, quiet voice.

"Have you met him, Satoshi-kun?" Yuki asked, a bit confused. Satoshi smiled a bit. "You could say that..."

"Huh... So, _is_ he strong...?"

"Very."

"...No worries! I'm certain Nick-kun and I could take him!"

A smirk formed.

"Really, now?"

Much to Yuki's surprise, Satoshi grabbed ahold of her chin, his lips near hers.

Yuki's eyes widened.

_What?_

"Yuki-chan, you're a lot more naive than I thought..." Satoshi murmured, his breath hot against her face. "A whole lot more than I thought..."

"What... What do you mean by that, Satoshi-kun?" Yuki asked, eyes glimmering.

"I mean, you don't know trouble when you see it. If you get over-confident in a place like this, you'll regret it." He smiled, but with no real expression. "Just be glad I'm not something that would hurt you, Yuki-chan."

"What...?" The black witch blinked twice. "Not worry? Satoshi-kun, just where are you going with this?"

"Mm... Figure it out."

Yuki made a face and snapped out of his grip, shaking her head. "I honestly have no idea what that means... But Satoshi-kun, you can't try something like that!" Satoshi simply sighed, taking the black witch's hand.

"True..."

"Satoshi-kun... If the guy is that strong, maybe he would be evenly matched with Nick-kun?"

"Maybe not."

Yuki sighed. "Oh, who knows?"

_...Saiki-kun..._

Satoshi looked at her for a few moments.

"...Anything can happen."

"Anything, huh?" Yuki replied with a thoughtful look. "Satoshi-kun, you're so confusing... Did you get that from me?" Satoshi shook his head.

"Don't think so."

"Oh?" Yuki puffed her cheeks. "Really weird. Really, really weird."

"No, it's normal. I've learned quite a lot for being on my own for so long..." Satoshi sighed. "It's kill or be killed in a war, if you choose not to run. I've seen several things happen, and I guess I'm just a little cold about that..."

"War is a terrible thing..." Yuki murmured, laying her head against his shoulder. "It's something to be avoided, and it never really gets anyone anywhere... Thousands of innocent people lose their lives, and for what? More battle..."

"I guess so," the boy agreed, looking ahead. "And you lose quite a lot from it... And sometimes... What you gain is not worth it."

"Saiki-kun..." Yuki murmured, squeezing his hand. "Nothing can be gained losing him... My Saiki-kun..."

Silence.

"I guess, if you think that way..." Satoshi replied, quietly. "That's how things work..."

Yuki huffed.

"I understand... Sorta... It's a little unfair though, don't you think?"

Satoshi nodded, smiling a bit. "Yeah..." The black witch glanced at him, a bit confused before finally just sighing.

"Either way... We still need to find Nick-kun, don't we?"

"Indeed..."

"So..." Yuki held up a finger.

"Let's get going!"

Satoshi nodded again.

"Got it."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Where did she get off to now?" Nick wondered, still searching for his little sister.

"That's just like Yuki-chan, isn't it?" Akemi noted. "Always running off..."

Nick had to nod at this. "And it was always Saiki-kun that brought her back to me when she got lost."

Nick took a look around the perimeter of the city, slicing down any Primids that tried to jump the party.

"ARGH!! Where is she?!" Nick exclaimed. Make no mistake, he loved his little sister dearly, but there were times when she would just get on his nerves. He subconsciously wondered if Doremi and Poppu were still like that...

"_Believe me, the Shinoya girl is the least of your worries at this moment."_

Nick immediately skidded to a stop upon hearing this voice.

"All right, buddy. I'm in no mood for these stupid games, so why don't you show yourself?!" Nick shouted.

"_So, you wish to die like this? Very well."_

Before Nick could even react, he felt an immense wave of energy knocking him back. When he was able to move again, he saw someone... or some_thing_... floating in the air above him. He was a man that was completely covered in aquatic blue light, complete with two majestic-looking wings.

"And just who might you be?" Nick asked, holding Hikari defensively.

Onpu and Akemi, however, were in shock. "No... not him..." Akemi just barely got out.

"Who's he?" Nick wondered, oblivious to the looks of shock on his friends' faces.

"_Who am I, indeed? I am Tabuu, the leader of the Subspace Army."_

"So, in other words, YOU'RE the one who's behind all of this!!" Nick exclaimed. "You're the ones who killed Momoko AND Saiki-kun... I'll NEVER forgive you for that!!"

"_Such bold words."_

This, of course, angered Nick to no end.

"I warned you not to piss me off, buddy! Now you're going to regret it!! _Let the demon's luster shine brightly!! Hanyou Hikari, shine down!!_"

Once Nick had transformed, he charged for Tabuu, only to be easily knocked straight into a nearby building, creating quite a massive crater.

"NICK-KUN!!!" Akemi exclaimed. Nick quickly picked himself up, brushing the dust off of him.

"So, you're definitely strong," Nick admitted. "I'll give you that. But that doesn't mean I'm going to back down, you little freak!!"

"_You are indeed very persistent. Let us see how long that will last against my powers."_

That was officially all that Nick could take. Letting out a mighty battle cry, he raised Hanyou Hikari and charged forward. He lashed out with multiple strikes, only to be surprised that Tabuu had dodged every last one.

"What is up with this guy?!" Nick exclaimed.

"NICK!!!" Moriko exclaimed. "DON'T YOU DARE GIVE IN!!!"

Nick smiled. _Thanks, Mori-chan. I needed that._

Picking himself up, Nick decided to try a different tactic. Charging once again, he quickly performed a somersault over Tabuu.

"_Hmm."_

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

The emerald beam rocketed forward, only to bounce off and fly straight for Nick.

"What the...?!"

Nick couldn't turn around in time, and was subsequently slammed into the ground by his own attack.

Nick slowly gathered his composure. "Man, this guy's unreal!!"

"_Now do you see that you have no possible hope of defeating me?"_

"Yeah, yeah. Why don't you tell it to someone who cares?!" Nick shouted, charging once more.

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Satoshi suddenly looked shocked.

"What's wrong, Satoshi-kun?" Yuki wondered.

"No... it can't be him..."

"Who's 'him'?" Yuki wondered.

"Don't tell me HE'S come down so soon..."

Before Yuki could even respond, Satoshi had ran off in a hurry.

"What's the rush, Satoshi-kun?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"No time to explain, Yuki-chan! If this feeling is correct, your brother and his friends are in BIG TROUBLE!!!"

_Nick-kun..._

Yuki's eyes began to glimmer.

_Please be safe..._

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One more charge was easily deflected, almost tossing Nick into the ocean had he not recovered himself in time.

_What is UP with this guy?! He's barely even lifting a finger, and yet he's tossing me all around the city!!_ Nick thought to himself as he regained his composure.

Tabuu simply smirked.

"_I had hoped you would put up more of a fight."_

With that, Tabuu flapped his wings and fired a massive beam of energy...

...straight for Akemi.

_What does he think he's doing?!_ Nick thought as he raced in front of Akemi, holding up Hanyou Hikari.

"_Santen kesshun!! I reject!!"_

A barrier of brilliant white light materialized in front of Nick and Akemi, just barely holding the massive beam of energy back.

"You girls get out of here! If this thing breaks, I don't want you holding yourselves responsible!!" Nick exclaimed, cracks starting to show in his shield.

"But... Nick-kun..." Akemi responded, tears in her eyes. Suddenly, she felt Onpu tugging on her arm.

"Hurry up, Akemi-chan!!" Onpu stated, and Akemi let herself be pulled to safety.

_Thanks, Onpu-chan,_ Nick thought as his barrier began to give way. As he took the full force of the blast, he noticed that Tabuu had disappeared.

_Serves him right. Satoshi-kun... if you're listening... keep Yuki-chan safe for me. I'm counting on you, buddy..._

Then, everything went black.

The last thing he heard was Yuki screaming his name.

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"NICK-KUN!!!"

Yuki's breath quickened as soon as she reached the scene, looking around desperately for her big brother.

Nothing.

"Nick-kun..." she whispered, tears forming in her eyes. "You couldn't be... You wouldn't be... No..."

"Yuki-chan..." Satoshi murmured, approaching her. "I-I'm sorry... If we had gotten here sooner.. This wouldn't of... Nick would still be...."

Yuki shook, clenching her fists, and glanced at Satoshi with watery brown eyes, tears blurring her vision.

"S-Saiki-kun..." she whimpered. Satoshi's eyes widened as the black witch thrown herself in his arms, burying her crying face in his shoulder.

"S-Saiki-kun... Why... Why did Nick-kun have to....?"

Satoshi blushed, deciding against correcting her and returned the embrace.

"Yuki-chan..." he started, stroking her long black locks. "This..."

Yuki shook her head. "It didn't have to happen did it? Doushite? Doushite Nick-kun?"

"Yuki-chan..." he whispered, quietly.

_I..._

"_Keep Yuki-chan safe..."_

He turned surprised.

_That's the same thing he..._

"_Satoshi-kun, do me a favor. Keep your okaa-san safe, alright?"_

His eyelids lowered.

_It's the same..._

His grip on Yuki's body tightened, and he ran a hand through the soft, long black hair.

"Yuki-chan, for now, I'll protect you... I promise."

Yuki perked up. "Sai.. No... Satoshi-kun..." She lifted her head, meeting with Satoshi's reassuring smile.

_That's just like..._

Satoshi let out his breath of the sight of her tear-streaked face and approached it, blushing a bit.

"Yuki-chan..."

Without warning he quickly pressed his lips to hers. Yuki's eyes widened in astonishment and Satoshi hurrily separated faster then she had the chance to react as he pulled her back in a tight hug.

"Yuki-chan..." he murmured again, burying his face in the ebony locks. "That was..."

Yuki remained surprised but sighed, eyes filling with tears again as she tightened her grip on the back of Satoshi's shirt.

"Jerk... If Nick-kun saw _that_..."

She bit her lip. "He'd _kill_ you..."

"Yuki-chan..." Satoshi started, softly. "Just... let it all out. You'll feel better."

Yuki whimpered and nodded.

_Nick... kun...._

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"Aw, shoot!! Where did our past selves go?!"

"Like I know!!"

Future Yuki looked around, biting her lip in concern.

_If anything happened to little me, little Nick-kun or..._

She grew quiet.

_Satoshi-kun... I've let him down so many times, and I can't! I can't let him down anymore! He may hate me, but still..._

"If something's happened to them, I'll..!!!"

She clenched her fists. "NICK-KUN!!! HURRY UP ALREADY!!!"

"CALM DOWN, YUKI-CHAN!!!"

Suddenly, future Nick stopped. "Something's wrong..."

"Wrong?" his sister repeated, now confused. "What do you mean wrong Ni-- _Aah_...!!"

Future Yuki covered her mouth in shock.

"Nick-kun, you're... _You're_..."

Future Nick held his head, not noticing what she was so worried about. "What's up Yuki-chan... Urgh... My head hurts..."

"You're... I can see right through you!!" she exclaimed. "But... that... that means... No..."

_Oh god... Please... not Nick..._

Her older brother groaned, beginning to glow.

"This isn't the end of me just yet, you know... Yuki-chan..."

Future Yuki's eyes glimmered. "Nick-kun... Don't..."

He smirked.

"For now, look for Satoshi-kun will ya? And your past self... I'll see ya later..."

"NICK-KUN, _NO!!!!_"

The future Yuki's eyes widened as her older brother vanished without a trace, and she held her breath.

_N-Nick-kun... This means... Little Nick-kun is..._

Without a second thought, she rushed off.

"He can't be truly gone... He wouldn't be.. There must be some way..."

She shut her eyes tightly. Either way...

_I have to protect Satoshi-kun!!! I can't have Saiki-kun, but I'd have to settle for his son... Isn't that what I said?! Or... What little me said? Besides, he's..._

"I have to hurry!!"

_For little me's sake and Nick-kun... It was my fault that they were dragged here... All my fault..._

She stopped.

"It's my fault that all this happened... All of it... How it all started, if I wasn't so weak... Nick-kun wouldn't worry about protecting me..."

She held her hands close to her heart.

"If I was more responsible... If I could handle myself.. Satoshi-kun wouldn't hate me... and Saiki-kun wouldn't be..."

_...dead._

She smiled ruefully. "Figures that I'm the one who started it all... Nick-kun... Saiki-kun... Momo-chan.... Their deaths are..."

Future Yuki shook her head and went back to running as fast as she could.

_Even if it's all my fault... Even if I don't have Nick-kun or Saiki-kun to support me as usual... I still gotta try... Cause..._

_I..._

_**I**__..._

"_Watashi... Makenai!"_

_I won't give up!_

"Little me, Satoshi-kun!" she called out. "Just you two wait! I'm coming... Satoshi-kun, dear Satoshi-kun... I'm coming, don't you worry..."

_I'll protect you... I'll protect you... Even though Saiki-kun told you to take care of me, __**I'll**__ do the honors... Cause... Because..._

She smiled a bit.

"That's a mother's job, isn't it?"

_I'm coming, for certain... I... I..._

_I promise._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"No... he can't be gone..." Akemi stated, tears falling freely.

"Nick-kun... _onii-chan..._" Yuki choked, her voice breaking. Just then, she shot to her feet, having felt a mysterious presence.

"Was that...?"

Almost instantly, future Yuki came running onto the scene.

"Little Nick-kun's... gone, isn't he?" future Yuki stated.

"It was Tabuu," Onpu noted. "He did this."

"Tabuu?" Yuki repeated, confused. Her future self nodded.

"He's the leader of the Subspace Army," Akemi explained. "He's almost like a god, in a way."

Yuki, however, was more concerned with the familiar presence she felt.

_I could have sworn I felt him..._

"Wait, guys," Yuki stated, drawing everyone's attention. "I just... I think I just felt Nick-kun's presence in the wind."

"Felt... his presence?" Moriko wondered. "Wait... does that mean..."

"We may still have a chance to save him," Yuki finished for the jade witch apprentice. "But we'd better hurry. This may be our _only_ chance."

Future Yuki nodded. "Saiki-kun wouldn't have wanted me to give up. Let's go save my big brother!!"

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_Nick looked around at the mysterious world he'd found himself in._

"_You know, limbo needs a little more interior decorating," Nick stated. "Definitely giving it props for uniqueness, though. It kinda looks like something I'd see in a hippie's dream. Or at least the dream of someone who can't let go of the 70s."_

"_Isn't that ironic? I said the very same thing."_

_Nick turned around upon hearing this voice. There she was._

"_Momoko?"_

_Indeed, Momoko's future self was standing there, still smiling brightly. Nick noticed that her hair was no longer in its trademark buns, instead flowing down to her waist._

_And, right there on her index finger, was the promise ring Nick had given her all the way back in his time._

"_I'm just glad we never forgot our promises," Momoko stated. "Say, Nick? Why do you look like a teenager?"_

_Nick had to fight down a laugh. He'd been asked this question so many times since he and Yuki had arrived in the future._

"_Long story short, future me and future Yuki-chan needed our help with the Subspace Army, so they brought us here," Nick explained._

"_I assume that Yuki-chan knows what happened to Saiki-kun?" Momoko asked._

"_Yeah. She took it really hard," Nick replied. "That reminds me, how long have you been here?"_

"_I can't really remember. I'm not sure if this is limbo or not," Momoko noted._

_Nick held out his hand, and Hikari appeared in his grip. "I guess that means we're not really dead yet."_

"_The problem is, I don't know where I'm supposed to go to get out of here," Momoko stated._

"_Why don't I help you find the way?" Nick offered. "I'm usually the one who had to find Yuki-chan whenever she ran off or got lost."_

_Momoko couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah, I remember that one time you practically turned Misora upside down looking for her!"_

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"NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki cried out. No such luck.

"I don't think that's going to work, Yuki-chan," Akemi noted.

Before Yuki could reply to this comment, a column of darkness appeared in front of the party, and who else but Gargos should step out of it.

"Why don't you go to hell?!" Yuki exclaimed before Gargos could even say a word. "You're the LAST person I need to see right now!!"

"Oh, THAT hurt, Shinoya," Gargos taunted. "I just wanted to know if you'd play with my new friend, Captain Bemoth."

As if responding to those very words, Captain Bemoth, a massive fish creature with scorpion-like arms, came flying out of the ocean, landing in front of Yuki and the gang.

"And don't think you'll be able to defeat him as easy as the others," Gargos continued. "Captain Bemoth is unmatched when it comes to speed. After all, you can't hurt what you can't catch."

With that, Gargos was gone.

"OOH!! I'd like to get my hands on that little freak!!" Yuki exclaimed, clenching her fists, but quickly returning to the matter at hand.

Captain Bemoth gave a snort before zooming off at incredible speeds.

"He really _is_ fast... but I'm not going to let that stop me!!" Yuki exclaimed, holding her hands into the air. They began to glow a bright coal-black.

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii!! Give me the speed to match this undersea freak!!"_

Yuki glowed brightly for a few seconds before zooming off at nearly subsonic speeds.

"Just like the good old days, huh?" Onpu couldn't help but ask.

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"_Damn it, they're everywhere!!" Momoko exclaimed, using her natural martial arts skills to dispatch another creature. Just a few seconds ago, she and Nick had been jumped by some weird-looking creatures that looked like they belonged in a Stephen King movie._

"_I wonder..." Nick stated to himself, using Hanyou Hikari to slash away another creature. "In all those movies Yuki-chan made me watch, the great hero was killed by some unknown force, but had to go through limbo and face tons of trials if he wanted to return to the world of the living. Isn't that how this is playing out?"_

_Momoko didn't answer, having been jumped by one of the creatures. Nick was over there in a flash, slashing the creature away from his future wife. Once the monster was squarely in his sights..._

"_The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!"_

_And that was the end of it._

"_You okay, Momoko?" Nick asked._

"_Yeah, I should be fine. That freak didn't hit anything important, so I should be okay," Momoko replied, only to have Nick draw her into a tight hug._

"_You'd best stay close to me, Momoko. I already lost you once. I'm not going to lose you again," Nick stated. Momoko could feel herself blushing hard._

"_Aw... you're the sweetest boy I've ever known, Nick."_

"_No kidding. I could've told you that. Now let's keep on moving. I've got this bad feeling that my sister ran into trouble, so we'd better hurry..."_

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"GET OVER HERE!!!"

Yuki leapt forward, Captain Bemoth once again dodging. The black witch cursed at the failed attempt to catch this over-sized fish.

"It's quite fast..." Satoshi noted. "I hope Yuki-chan can catch that thing..." At this, her future self perked up and glanced at him, smiling a bit.

_Satoshi-kun..._

"Okay, enough games!!" Yuki called out, holding out her palms which began glowing black. "Take THIS!!!"

Firing a shot, Yuki knocked Captain Bemoth into a tailspin.

"BINGO!!"

However, Captain Bemoth quickly recovered and didn't look too happy at being hit. The black witch took quick caution and the two vanished.

All that could be seen for the next few minutes were the miniature shockwaves that every impact made.

"Evenly matched..." Moriko mused. "That's not good." Akemi nodded.

"Yes, but surely... Yuki-chan will find a way."

"Eh, she's Yuki-chan." Onpu shrugged, not all that worried. Future Yuki laughed a little at this.

_Minna.... Little me's... Just fine, right?_

She sighed a bit.

_I should know best... little me... Er, Yuki-chan... She'll be just fine, a little trouble... But fine nevertheless._

Her smile vanished.

_At least... I hope she will be..._

Suddenly the two stopped, in battle stances. Everyone perked up at this.

"Wonder what's gonna happen next..." Onpu mused. "It's like the movies..." Moriko just sweatdropped at that.

"What's _that_ supposed to mean, Onpu-chan?"

The purple witch giggled. "Nothing to be offended about, I assure you... _Mori-chan_." The jade witch growled.

"Onpu, you know the rules. Only _Nick_ can call me that."

The purple idol sighed. "You're sure fond of Kellysi-chan... I bet Momo-chan would of been so jealous..." Moriko then smiled, winking.

"Why not? He's a fun kid to play with. Though not as fun to play with as _before_..."

Future Yuki shook her head. "That Moriko-chan..."

Satoshi just raised an eyebrow.

_Moriko-san sure is... weird..._

He then turned back to Yuki.

_Though... Yuki-chan's like that too... Except more kawaii..._

"This is where things get serious!!"

"Huh?"

Everyone else quickly focused their attention to Yuki.

Yuki held out her hands. "But remember Bemoth!" she called out. "You asked for it!"

They all looked surprised at this.

"Yuki-chan..."

"_Snap, Tobiume!!"_

**("Keep on Going" by Atsuko Enomoto plays)**

"WAY TO GO YUKI-CHAN!!!" Kurumi yelled. "You summoned Tobiume!!"

"Tobiume...?" Satoshi repeated, a bit surprised. "O-Okaa-san, what's that?" Future Yuki smiled, happy he asked her first.

"It's just a little something-something... Satoshi-kun, it's a sword-trademark I came up with quite some time ago."

He nodded, a little understanding. "Sou ka..."

Yuki positioned herself on Tobiume before spinning it around and slamming it down, striking a cute pose.

"Bemoth, I give you the honors of being the first beast in the future to be done away with by my Tobiume!"

Captain Bemoth snorted at this, and she smirked.

"Okay, we'll have it your way..."

The two vanished in yet another wave of miniature shockwaves and Yuki backed away, Tobiume glowing a coal-black aura.

_Yosh..._

"_Tobiume!! Flick them with the mysterious energy of twilight!!"_

Yuki held up Shutsuga Tobiume and charged.

"_Twilight Rush!!"_

Slashing at Captain Bemoth, she brought down her sword, pushing Bemoth 3 feet back.

Bemoth got back up, although it appeared the damage had taken its toll. Yuki prepared Shutsuga Tobiume.

"Stubborn, aren't ya?" she asked, a little cautious.

"Careful, little Yuki-chan!!" Moriko called out. "Bemoth's a whole lot stronger than he looks!" Akemi nodded.

"Yes, Moriko-chan's right!" she called out as well. "Yuki-chan, you _must_ be on your guard!!"

Yuki simply smiled and waved away their worries.

"Daijoubu, daijoubu! I'll be just fine!"

The two sighed. "Let's hope you're right for your sake..." Moriko mumbled, groaning.

Her future self shrugged. "Hey, I believe in little me..."

Satoshi glanced at her, blushed, and turned his attention back to the past Yuki. "I believe in her, too."

Future Yuki winked. "Good to hear, Satoshi-kun."

"Yosh..." the black witch started. "Let's try again."

"_Twilight Rush!!"_

Slashing through Captain Bemoth, he quickly dodged the witch's strike and vanished. Yuki hmphed.

"Okay fine, we'll play it your way," she murmured before vanishing as well.

"I wonder who's winning..." Akemi wondered, a bit confused. "I sure hope it's little Yuki-chan..." Future shook her head.

"I bet it's little me," she corrected, waving her finger. "_Ne_ Satoshi-kun?" Satoshi flustered.

"I guess..."

She giggled at this.

_So cute..._

Yuki just huffed, witnessing the event, sighing.

_Though Saiki-kun..._

She quickly shook her head and slashed at Bemoth as he staggered back.

"This has been going on way to long!! _Twilight Rush!!_"

Yuki charged at him, firing a rally of hits surprisingly too fast and furious for Captain Bemoth to dodge _all_ of them.

"You're going DOWN!!!" she yelled, raising Shutsuga Tobiume up high.

"Yuki-chan...!!!" Kurumi called out. "ABUNAI!!!"

"Huh?"

Just then, Yuki was knocked over by Bemoth's arm.

"_Aah_!"

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Satoshi exclaimed.

Yuki got up, wincing. "Moriko-chan and Akemi-chan were right... I need to be more careful..."

_Shoot... But either way... for Nick-kun's sake... I can't give up now!!_

"Alright Bemoth..." she stated, getting up and steadying herself on Shutsuga Tobiume.

"_Prepare yourself!!_"

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"_Hello!!"_

"_Huh?"_

_Both Nick and Momoko quickly took caution at the new voice. "Who's there?!" Nick called out. "Show yourself!"_

"_Sheesh, rude guy. Is that really the way to talk to a pretty lady?"_

"_Pretty lady?" Momoko repeated. "Who are you?"_

"_Oh, I'll introduce myself!"_

_In front of them stood a girl only about 10 with long black hair naturally split into two parts, hidden under a snow white cap with something that looked like a trade mark music eighth note. Her eyes were a navy blue shade._

"_What's up?" she greeted. "You stuck in limbo world too?"_

_Both of them just looked too surprised to speak. The new girl looked confused at this._

"_Uh... Something on my face?"_

"_You... You look so much like Yuki-chan..." Nick stated, breathless. The new girl turned surprised._

"_Don't tell me okaa-chan's here, too!!"_

"_Okaa-chan?" Momoko repeated, blinking twice. "I didn't know Yuki-chan..." Suddenly Nick recalled something Satoshi had said._

"_Your name, it wouldn't be Mana would it?"_

_She perked up. "You got that right!! Mana, at your service! I look like I'm ten, and I'm very good at slapping people with the back of my hand!"_

_The couple sweatdropped._

"_Mana-chan, you're... Yuki-chan's kid?" Momoko asked, a little confused. Mana nodded, smiling brightly. _

"_The Subspace army took my life from me before I could crawl, jerks right? So I've been stuck here for like... My whole life... I've pretty much given up on becoming alive again, so will you two play with me?"_

"_We're busy," Nick responded. "We're looking for a way..." he paused, looking at Mana's eyes glittering in expectation._

"_....But we can certainly make time to play one game."_

"_Nick!!" Momoko cried out, surprised. Nick shushed her and turned to Mana, who clapped her hands cheerfully._

"_What a relief! How about a catch? The game we'll play will be hide and seek. If I win, you two have to help me look for otou-chan!" she exclaimed, much to their surprise. "I've been looking FOREVER, and I still can't find him! Either he's really... gone, or he's just playing hide and seek too!"_

"_Saiki?!" Nick gasped. "Is he here, Momoko?" Momoko sighed._

"_If he was, Nick, I think I would of ran across him by now..."_

_Mana shook her head. "No way for the first one! Otou-chan promised he'd protect okaa-chan, so I'm here to find him and bring him back! All hope's lost for my return, but I ain't giving up! Anyway..."_

_She folded her arms. "If you two win, I'll help you out! I know my way around here pretty well! And I have otou-chan's wonderful sense of direction to help me!"_

_Nick and Momoko looked at each other and nodded. Mana grinned._

"_Great! But here's the thing, only one of you can return... So choose between who'll return... And another thing you must see, if I win, we'll find otou-chan! So you two will stay, yes?"_

_They flinched at this. "Are you serious?!" Nick demanded. "I'm NOT leaving Momoko!"_

"_Nick, think about it!" Momoko intervened, grabbing his arm. "Yuki-chan needs you!" Mana perked up at this._

"_Wait a minute, I'm facing Uncle Nick and Aunt Momoko here? Weird... Aw well, that certainly doesn't mean I'll go easy on you," she smiled. "Momoko, Nick, just do your best okay!"_

_Nick just nodded and Mana disappeared. "Alright Momoko, for Yuki-chan. Let's find Mana-chan!" Momoko nodded._

"_Right!!"_

_And with that, the two rushed off, unknownist that Mana was above them, hands on knees, smiling._

"_Nick and Momoko don't know... I have the upper hand, there are many places to hide... And I'm gonna try them all..."_

_She sighed._

"_Okaa-chan..." she whispered. "Don't you worry, I'll find otou-chan, definitely! That way both me and onii-chan... Heh."_

_She brought a hand to her lip._

"_I can't help but wonder... How they'll do..."_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"_Man, Mana-chan's pretty good," Momoko stated after a while of searching._

"_She's too good," Nick admitted, "but we have to get out of here! I can't let Yuki-chan down! God only knows what's happening while we're stuck here!!"_

"_Relax, Nick," Momoko stated, letting her hand rest on Nick's shoulder. "I'm sure she's fine. She's YOUR sister, after all."_

_Suddenly, two VERY loud screams caught their attention. Nick spun around, raising Hanyou Hikari..._

_...only to find both Mana AND Saiki being held in the grip of a massive flower creature._

"_What is that thing?!" Momoko wondered._

_Suddenly, upon taking a good look at the creature, Nick instantly recognized it._

"_Oh, man, not another Witch Queen Heart!! I've had enough of those things coming to life and attacking us!!" Nick exclaimed, raising Hanyou Hikari and charging forward. The monster simply responded by lashing out with one of its many vines, which was easily cut down by Nick._

"_Let my friends go, you overgrown botanical freak!!" Nick shouted, jumping into the air, only to be slapped away by another vine._

"_Okay, you know what? I'm through playing around here!! You let my friends go, OR ELSE!!!"_

_The monster only responded with a roar. Nick grinned widely at this._

"_Didn't think so."_

_Not wasting any more time, Nick raised Hanyou Hikari into the air._

_Momoko quickly rushed over, waving her finger at Nick. "Don't you leave me out of the fun, Nick!"_

_Nick could only nod as he and Momoko began to float into the air._

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"GET BACK HERE!!!" Yuki exclaimed, lashing out with Shutsuga Tobiume, but Captain Bemoth easily dodged this time.

"That's it!! I'm through playing around!!" Yuki exclaimed, holding Shutsuga Tobiume into the air. Three circles of energy appeared around Captain Bemoth as Yuki prepared her attack. Captain Bemoth tried to dash away, but the circles of light followed the beast wherever it went.

"Uh-uh! _Guided Trinity!!!_" Yuki exclaimed, and at that moment, the circles around Captain Bemoth exploded into energy beams that struck hard and fast, doing quite a toll of damage.

"How do you like that?!" Yuki exclaimed. Captain Bemoth responded by flipping back to its right-side up position and sending out even more shockwaves that were easily dodged.

"Oh, come on, buddy! You're going to have to do better than that!!" Yuki exclaimed, lashing out with Shutsuga Tobiume again, slashing Captain Bemoth across the side.

Bemoth responded to this by shooting some kind of electrical beam that Yuki couldn't react to in time, making her take one hell of a stunning shock.

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Satoshi exclaimed as Yuki fell to her knees, dropping Shutsuga Tobiume.

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_Nick and Momoko began chanting._

"_The souls of purifying thunder..." Momoko chanted._

"_The glimmer of purifying light..." Nick continued._

_Nick and Momoko held their hands tighter than anyone seemingly had a right to._

"_Lend us your wills and give us the power to grant an everlasting miracle!!"_

_Nick and Momoko's eyes closed as they concentrated all of their magical powers into unleashing their ultimate attack._

"_The purity of our beautiful souls..." Momoko chanted._

"_...shall crush the boundaries of your heart of darkness!!" Nick finished as the two drew their hands back._

_The Witch Queen Heart stared on as golden electricity burst from Nick and Momoko's free hands._

"_Nick, we may have a problem here," Momoko suddenly stated. "I don't want to hurt Mana-chan OR Saiki-kun..."_

_However, before Nick could voice his opinion, something raced into the scene and cut through the tentacles holding Mana and Saiki, allowing them both to break free._

_Nick and Momoko nodded to each other, preparing for their attack._

"_Double Ojamajo Sparkle Screw..."_

_Mana and Saiki quickly rushed out of Nick and Momoko's way as the couple began to glow with an immense light._

"_...MAXIMUM!!!!"_

_With that, Nick and Momoko thrust their hands forward, discharging an immense sparkling energy burst that thundered forward like a lightning bolt and easily vaporizing the monster. When the light cleared, all that was left of the monster was the Witch Queen Heart flower it had mutated from._

_Almost as quickly as they'd started, Nick and Momoko dropped to the ground, quite exhausted from all the energy they'd put into that attack._

"_Are you guys okay?" Saiki asked._

"_Yeah, we should be," Nick replied. "That attack always takes a lot out of us."_

"_Way to go, uncle!!" Mana exclaimed. "You kicked that flower freak's butt!!"_

"_Just doing what we came here to do," Nick replied._

"_I guess that means you've won," Mana stated, walking up to a strange glowing pillar and tapping it twice. Responding to Mana's touch, a glowing portal appeared._

"_That's the way out," Mana explained. "I had fun playing with you guys! I just wish we could play some more..."_

"_So, why don't you come with us?" Nick asked. "I'm sure Yuki-chan and Satoshi-kun would love to see you again!"_

"_That's okay," Mana stated. "I found who I was looking for. That's all I really wanted."_

_Nick walked up to Momoko, staring into her deep green eyes._

"_I guess... I'll see you when I see you, Momoko."_

_Momoko simply pulled Nick into a tight hug._

"_Go on and kick Gargos where it hurts. For me, okay?"_

_Momoko kissed Nick on the cheek. "It's what I'd want."_

_The tears were flowing freely now. "Take care of yourself, Momoko."_

_Not wasting any more time, Nick jumped into the portal._

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki huffed, wincing as she got up.

"That... I didn't expect that..."

Losing her balance, she glared at a cautious Bemoth, sighing as she wiped a bit of dirt from her cheek.

"Watashi..."

Shaking as she regained her balance, putting most of her weight on her right foot, making Satoshi perk up.

_That's the ankle she..._

"Watashi..." she continued, shifting to a battle stance. She pulled forward, revealing her eyes sparkling with determination and confidence.

"Watashi... _Makenai_!"

Everyone seemed a bit surprised at this, even Bemoth. Yuki giggled.

"Alrighty..."

Reaching for her Shutsuga Tobiume and held it in front, pointing it at Bemoth, focusing her energy.

_Okay... No more games.. No more anything... Makenai..._

Suddenly she began glowing a pure snow-white aura.

"Yosha..."

Smiling brightly, she jumped up, holding Shutsuga Tobiume up high.

"_Guided Trinity!!_ Shutsuga Tobiume..."

Shutsuga Tobiume glowed brightly as Yuki quickly blew a kiss, winking, before bringing it down.

"..._PURIFICATION!!!_"

As soon as Shutsuga Tobiume impacted, there was an explosion of a blinding light, causing everyone to quickly shield their eyes from this.

"D-Did Yuki-chan..?!" Akemi barely got out. "I-Is she alright?!"

"I sure hope so!!" Moriko responded.

Sure enough, the light soon dimmed, allowing them vision, and the future Ojamajos gasped. There was Yuki, holding her reverted-back poron and... and...

Captain Bemoth was nowhere to be found.

"Yuki-chan!! You..." Onpu started, surprised. Yuki turned to them, confused before holding up a peace sign.

"Purification complete!"

Moriko grinned. "Was there any doubt?" Akemi lightly giggled.

"A little. Sorry Moriko-chan."

"No worries, Akemi-chan."

"WAY TO GO LITTLE ME!!!" Future Yuki started. "I see I chose a good one!" Yuki laughed weakly before losing her balance, gaining their attention.

"Yuki-chan!!" Satoshi exclaimed, rushing over and catching the fallen black witch. Yuki winced for a few moments.

"I used a lot of energy from that, Satoshi-kun..."

Satoshi just smiled. "I... I can see that." Yuki smiled back before Satoshi helped her up.

"Satoshi-kun, thank you."

He blushed a bit.

"M-Mm... No problem."

"Now, onto business..." the black witch started. "I need to find..."

"_Me, Yuki-chan?"_

Yuki gasped as she heard the voice.

_Eh? Isn't that..._

Right on time, a bright glow appeared, and there was none other than...

"NICK-KUN!!!"

Nick grinned. "Did I miss anything?"

"I'll tell you miss!!" Moriko exclaimed, surprised and angry. "A huge battle! Nick-kun, you were supposed to SUPPORT your little sister!" At this, he sweatdropped.

_As usual, Mori-chan can't say she's actually happy to..._

"But..." she continued. "You're back because of my lucky charm right? So I wasn't all too worried... Okay I was. It's a relief you're back, Nick-kun!" Nick had to blush.

_Or... maybe not. But there's still..._

"Yuki-chan...?"

Yuki's eyes glimmered as she stood there in disbelief. "So... you are alright?" Her older brother just smiled and nodded.

"I still have some protecting to do. I made a promise..."

A smile made its way to his sister's lips.

"Yokatta..."

Without saying anything else, she rushed into his arms in a bone-crushing embrace.

Nick just returned the hug, smiling.

"No worries, Yuki-chan. I'm not going anywhere, not for a long time."

"And that's a definite."

Future Yuki perked up and turned to her brother walking towards her, grinning. She lightly gasped.

"You kept your promise..."

"Why not, Yuki-chan?"

She smiled and pecked his cheek. "That's a relief. A big one."

Satoshi just sighed.

_Everyone sure looks happy... But there's one thing I can't help but wonder..._

"Hey Nick?" he started. "Uh, how did you get back anyway?"

Nick then smirked. "You could say I had some help... From some old friends.."

Satoshi perked up. "Really? Like who?"

"Well..."

Somehow, Future Yuki already got the message, and rushed up to him, clasping her hands together with a desperate look on her face.

"S-Saiki-kun?! D-Did he make it?! Is he alright?! Does he miss me?! How IS he?!!?"

Yuki perked up as well. "Ehhh?! Nick-kun saw Saiki-kun?! I-Is he...?" Nick quickly waved his hands, a bit nervous.

"He's fine, he's fine! I met Momoko too..."

His future self smiled a bit. "And I assume she's doing well...?" He nodded.

"Very."

Both Yuki and her future self let out a huge sigh of relief.

"Thank goodness... Saiki-kun..."

They both looked at each other, surprised, and started laughing.

"Does this mean I don't lose the wonderful feeling in the future?" Yuki asked. Her future self shook her finger.

"Not. At. All! In fact, it'll grow even stronger!"

"Sugoi!"

"Which REMINDS me..." Nick started. "Satoshi-kun, you will NOT believe who else I found!!" Satoshi looked confused.

"Who'd you find?"

"It's..."

Just then, he heard a voice tell him in his head...

"_Don't tell him!!"_

"...Huh?"

"What?" Satoshi's eyes were question marks. "What were you going to say, Nick?"

"Oh, it's nothing..." he responded, quickly.

_Was that...?_

Satoshi just shrugged. "Eh. We need to get going, anyway.."

"Ah, that's right!!" Yuki exclaimed. "We DO need to get going!" Future Yuki nodded.

"And we need to be more careful, who KNOWS when we'll run into Tabuu again..."

"Yeah," Kurumi agreed. "I do NOT want to go through losing Nick-kun again..."

Both Moriko and Akemi nodded. "Ditto."

And with that, the group went on, except for Nick, who just stayed behind.

"I wonder..." he pondered.

"_Hey, Nick-jii-chan!"_

"Eh?" Spinning around, Nick faced none other than Mana, only she was transparent.

Mana winked.

"_Surprised to see me?"_

"VERY," he replied, breathless. "Mana-chan, what are you..."

"_I can send my magic here,"_ she explained. _"But it takes a lot of energy, so I can't do it all the time... But just enough so I can watch over my okaa-chan and onii-chan..."_

Silence.

"Is that all, Mana-chan?"

She giggled.

"_Just how do you think onii-chan was able to survive on his own for so long... And before you ask, I'm the only one who'll do this in the future. Just call, and I'll answer."_

"Should I..."

"_No, not just yet. I wanna surprise them."_

Nick looked confused. "But... why, Mana-chan?" His future niece smiled brightly.

"_I love them. Just to let you know, and I take on otou-chan's duties to protect them. Believe me, I'd gladly give them the rest of my magic if I could..."_

Nick sighed. "Alright, Mana-chan." Mana's eyelids lowered.

"_So... I'll see you later, okay Uncle Nick?"_

"Right..."

And with that, she vanished and Nick just smiled.

_Even if she looks more like Yuki-chan, she acts like Saiki-kun..._

"NICK-KUN!!!"

"H-Huh?" Nick turned to face Yuki.

"What's taking so long?!" she called out. "We got work to do!!" Nick nearly fell over.

"Uh... coming!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"Well, Gargos. Only one of the Four Heavenly Kings remains. You DO realize that Master Tabuu is going to have your head if he find out about this..." Waltz sneered.

"YOU DON'T THINK I KNOW THAT?!!" Gargos exclaimed. "I just don't understand how they can be so strong!!"

"Are you blind, you fool?" Waltz shot back. "You've never heard of the 'power of a promise'?"

"What the hell are you babbling about now?!" Gargos exclaimed.

"Remember back in the day? We learned that the elder brother made a promise to protect the Shinoya girl, no matter what happens. It's that very promise that makes them able to overcome such great trials."

"We've tried everything to separate those two to make them easy pickings, but nothing seems to work... We killed the boy, but somehow, he came back!!" Gargos exclaimed, shaking with fear at what Tabuu was going to do if he found out about this.

"And then Master Tabuu took matters into his own hands, but that didn't work either..." Waltz continued, apparently not scared at all. "What will you do, Gargos? It's only a matter of time..."

Gargos contemplated this. "Simple. I'm going to take the fight to them myself. As the last of the Four Heavenly Kings, I will not bend so easily to these stupid little brats."

"Then go down to the city and prove it to me. Prove that you have the guts to stand up to them," Waltz taunted. Gargos smirked and disappeared, right before Tabuu reappeared in a swirl of black feathers.

"So. The boy survived after all," Tabuu stated, as emotionless as ever.

"He apparently had some help," Waltz stated.

"Say no more. We should let Gargos have his fun. Once he is out of the picture, you and I can proceed with the final plan and wipe out this puny world."

Waltz bowed. "I am your loyal servant, Master Tabuu."

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"_In a dream, I can see you are not far away... Anytime, anyplace, I can see your face..."_ Yuki sang, reciting the lyrics to a pretty song that she and Nick once sung for a school talent show.

Nick smiled and continued where his little sister had left off. _"You are that special one that I've been waiting for, and I hope you're looking for someone like me..."_

Yuki smiled back, still singing her heart out. _"In my dreams, I can hear you calling me... in the night, everything's so sweet... in your eyes, I feel there's so much inside..."_

Moriko was dually impressed with the siblings' singing voices. "Wow! No one told me that those two could sing like that!" Moriko exclaimed.

Satoshi had to laugh at this. "Of COURSE they're good singers. I could've told you that, Moriko-san."

"_In the night, dream delight... I want to see you standing there..."_ By this time, both Nick and Yuki were singing. _"In the night, dream delight... I found someone who really cares..."_

Onpu couldn't help but smile at this lovely display.

"_In the night, dream delight... I want to see you smile again..."_ Nick and Yuki were now singing with all their hearts. _"In the night, dream delight... You're the one I've waited for..."_

When the two siblings had finished their song, everyone began applauding.

"Do let me know if I'm interrupting something," a sinister voice proclaimed.

Nick and Yuki turned around to face none other than Gargos standing there.

**("It Has Come to This" by Runblebee plays)**

"OOH!!" Yuki exclaimed. "You, of all people, should KNOW not to interrupt me when I'm singing!! It messes with my balance!!"

"Out with it, Gargos!!" Nick exclaimed. "What are you doing here?!"

"Simple, you little nuisance," Gargos explained. "I'm taking the chance I should have taken decades ago."

With that, Gargos formed an energy sword similar to the one Yuki liked to use.

Nick and Yuki quickly drew their wands.

"_Tobiume!! Flick them with the mysterious energy of twilight!!"_

"_Let the demon's luster shine brightly!! Hanyou Hikari, shine down!!"_

When the light cleared, Shutsuga Tobiume and Hanyou Hikari were firmly grasped in their owners' hands.

"I've waited thirty-five years for this, you little BRATS!!!" Gargos exclaimed, a powerful pulse wave of energy emanating from him that nearly forced Nick and Yuki back in their spots, but they stood their ground.

"Well, then," Nick replied, gripping Hanyou Hikari tightly. "Let's not wait any longer."

Not wasting a single second, Gargos swung his energy sword, discharging numerous blade-shaped energy beams that were quickly dispatched by Shutsuga Tobiume.

Emitting a low growl, Gargos charged for Nick, their respective weapons clashing in a spark of orange light.

"You're too stubborn for your own good, brat," Gargos growled.

"Yuki-chan tells me that all the time," Nick responded, earning a blush from Yuki.

"All right, no more fooling around!!" Gargos exclaimed, glowing with a dark aura. "This is the last battle! It's time for you to die!!"

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Future me!! Protect Satoshi-kun!!" Yuki called up, quickly turning to her future self. "Keep him safe.."

She nodded. "I plan to." Satoshi blushed as his mother pulled him close by his shoulders, and looked at Yuki with a bit of worry.

"Yuki-chan... Please do your best..."

Yuki nodded with a grin and winked. "I plan to!" She faced Nick.

"Nick-kun..."

He just grinned. "Got it, Yuki-chan." His sister smiled for a few minutes before changing her look to serious as the two of them stared down Gargos.

"Die huh? Sorry creep, but as long as I have Saiki-kun and Satoshi-kun to protect, that's NOT going to happen!" Yuki exclaimed, tightening her grip on Tobiume.

Gargos took slight caution before vanishing with extreme speed. Yuki and Nick stole a glance from the other before disappearing as well, the shockwaves from impact apparent.

"He's... good..." Nick admitted quietly, a little annoyed. "_Too_ good..."

"NICK-KUN!!!"

"Huh?"

Caught off guard, Nick was sweeped off his feet and lost balance. "Ah! I see you _have_ gotten better..."

Gargos simply laughed at this.

"Now do you see it's hopeless?"

"Not a chance!" he snapped, getting up. "No way am I ever giving up!"

Yuki just smiled a little. "Watashi... Watashi... Makenai!"

_Trademark saying! When I say it, I mean it! No way am I giving up either, Nick-kun!_

"Yosha!" the black witch exclaimed, pumping her fist, "Let's do it!"

_Question is, what do I... Oh!_

She snapped her fingers, grinning.

_Got it! I'll show Gargos my stuff! For Saiki-kun! For Satoshi-kun! I'll do my best!_

Her Tobiume began glowing, getting both Nick and Gargos' attention.

"W-What the-?!"

"Alrighty!" she called out, tossing up her sword. "Get prepared!"

_Saiki-kun..._

The sword glowing in the air and Yuki's body was engulfed by a bright white light, feeling her clothes materialize on her body.

_Yosh..._

"_For one so brave for the sake of love..."_

She held up a hand and within moments, her outfit formed and her hair pulled back in a elegant high ponytail.

She struck her pose.

"_The Black Purifier of Courage, at your service!!"_

Yuki whacked her head goofily. "Or in this case, not!" She smoothed back her hair, winking.

"But enough with the show-off act..."

She caught Tobiume and held it high. "Gargos, I will NOT lose! And I won't back down!"

Nick looked a bit surprised, but grinned. "Nice, Yuki-chan." Gargos only scoffed.

"Don't get cocky because of a mere transformation, Shinoya."

'Shinoya' looked annoyed for a few minutes. "Who said anything about getting cocky? You're the cocky one... But moving on..."

"_TWILIGHT RUSH_!!!"

Yuki's Tobiume quickly glowed before she striked and Gargos blocked, wincing a bit.

"It seems you have gotten stronger."

"...I won't forgive you. For taking Saiki-kun." Yuki stated in a low voice.

"Like I care."

Growling, Yuki jumped back. "Okay then..." She tossed her Tobiume to her left, her right hand glowing a dark aura.

"_Shadow Claw!!_"

And with that, the black purifier charged, slashing at Gargos repeatedly until she got a clear hit and did a backflip.

"Yuki-chan!!" Nick called out. "Don't leave me out of the fight!"

Yuki perked up, surprised. "Oh Nick-kun, I forgot about you! Sorry!"

Nick made a face. "Whatta ya mean 'forgot'?"

Moriko just shook her head. "That's Yuki-chan, getting wrapped up in everything before remembering... She's like Nick-kun in that manner, I guess..."

Akemi nodded. "She's like you too, Moriko-chan." she admitted, smiling.

"Hm?" Moriko glanced at Akemi, who flustered, and grinned. "And unlike you, my dear shy beautiful Akemi-chan."

The crystal witch flushed a deep shade of red. "B-Beautiful..?"

_Moriko-chan..._

"Hah! You should see the look on your face!" her childhood friend exclaimed, pointing and laughing. "THAT'S the reaction I wanna see when you meet someone!"

Akemi's mouth dropped. "You... You're TEASING me, Moriko-chan! You haven't changed one bit! A-At this rate... Please don't do that!"

Moriko silenced her by placing a hand on her delicate cheek, stroking it gently.

"No worries, dear Akemi-chan. I'm not like that."

Akemi blushed. "Moriko-chan..."

Onpu sighed at this. "Those two... Moriko-chan always plays with Akemi-chan like that.."

Satoshi blinked, a bit confused.

_Playful? Yuki-chan's like that..._

Looking up at his mom who was simply watching the fight with a grin. Satoshi's eyes widened as he flushed and backed up against her.

_But okaa-san's changed... Why am I even thinking about her like that? She's still..._

"Interesting, isn't it?"

"Huh?"

Satoshi looked up at future Yuki's warm smile as a blush crossed his cheeks. "You mean the battle right okaa-san? I-I guess..."

Future Yuki chuckled, ruffling Satoshi's hair. "That... and..."

Satoshi flustered, realizing what she meant and went back to focusing on the battle.

Yuki hopped back to her brother's side.

"Well Nick-kun..."

"Well what?"

"You have a plan right?"

At that he blushed, sweatdropping. "I was actually just hoping it'd come to me.." Yuki shrugged.

_Eh. Works for me._

With that the two faced Gargos, who smirked.

"I've been going far too easy on you."

The two siblings looked surprised.

_Easy, what does he mean easy?!_

Nick gulped.

_What.. does Gargos have planned? Either way..._

He swung out his free arm in front of Yuki in a protective stance, making her blush slightly.

_Nick-kun..._

"No matter what you do, Gargos..." her older brother growled. "I swear I will.."

"I WILL PROTECT YUKI-CHAN!!!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"All right, then," Gargos taunted. "It's your funeral, then."

Gargos tensed up before charging forward, lashing out with numerous strikes that Nick easily blocked.

"You just don't get it, do you, Gargos?" Nick challenged. "I made a promise to protect my sister from people like you, and that's just what I'm going to do!!"

With that, Nick began glowing with a bright green aura.

"What the...?" Gargos exclaimed. He obviously hadn't seen this trick of his.

"_For one who never backs down in the face of challenge..."_

Nick struck a pose that was similar to Yuki's.

"_The Green Purifier of Bravery, at your service!!"_

"_Sugoi_..." Akemi stated. She was clearly impressed.

"Okay, Gargos, I'm through playing around with you!! Take this!!" Nick exclaimed, drawing Hanyou Hikari. _"Moonlight Storm!!!"_

Responding to Nick's command, Hanyou Hikari began glowing brightly, creating an orb of twilight energy above Gargos. Before he could even react, the twilight orb unleashed a maelstrom of twilight energy beams that mercilessly hammered at Gargos. He put up his arms to block some of the damage, but the attack had definitely taken its toll.

"Not bad, little brat," Gargos admitted. "You've definitely gotten stronger since the last we met. Unfortunately for you, so have I!!"

That said, Gargos began glowing with an immense dark aura.

_What's he up to?_ Yuki wondered. She didn't have to wait long for an answer, as Gargos began to transform into an ungodly large rock creature. Suddenly, something clicked in her head. _This is just like that time..._

"Waltz!!" Gargos called out. "Restrain the brats!!"

Nick simply smirked. "Not this time, you freak! I don't think you understand. I made a promise, and there's no way in hell I'm going to break it!!"

Nick quickly spun around and fired an Ojamajo Arrow of Light that seemed to hit something. When the blast cleared, everyone could see Black Waltz Three there, holding his wounded shoulder.

"I'm sorry to say this, Gargos," Waltz stated, "but the brats have undoubtedly gotten smarter as well."

"Fine, I'll do it myself," Gargos stated through his rock armor. "Never trust an underling to do the dirty work."

This seemed to enrage Waltz. "_What_ did you call me?!"

"You heard me, Waltz," Gargos explained. "I've had enough of you acting all high and mighty, ESPECIALLY with taunting me in front of Master Tabuu. You know what happened to the last person who made him mad?"

"That's why I'm trying to HELP you, you ungrateful bastard!!" Waltz exclaimed, his patience officially at its limit.

"Like I EVER needed your help," Gargos responded. He was about to say something else, but he was cut off when Waltz's fist made contact with his face.

"Oh, now you're asking for it, Waltz," Gargos taunted, waving his hand in a 'bring it' motion.

Nick and Yuki just stood there, quite confused, as Gargos and Waltz fought each other.

"Wow, never knew they'd be the unstable type," Yuki noted.

"We'd better take care of those two before they destroy the city," Nick noted. "This place has gone through enough as it is!"

"Why don't we help?" a new voice exclaimed.

EVERYONE, especially Aiko and Onpu, spun around at this new set of voices.

"_Fujio no F!!"_

"_Leon no L!!"_

"_Akatsuki no A!!"_

"_Tooru no T!!"_

"_The superstars of the Mahoutsukai, the FLAT 4, are here to help!!"_

"It took you guys long enough to get here!!" Nick exclaimed. "You've been missing out on all the action!!"

"Sorry we're late," Fujio stated. "We had some business to take care of."

"But now we're ready to rock!!" Leon exclaimed, battle-ready as always.

Nick couldn't help but smile. _Those guys haven't changed one bit, really..._

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Moriko and Akemi gasped lightly. _Them!!!_

Moriko happily rushed up to Tooru and glomped him.

"Tooru-kun! I haven't seen you in so long! But still I love you as much as I did.. In fact.. If you weren't with Onpu-chan, I'd kiss you!"

Tooru blushed while Onpu scowled, angry that Moriko hadn't of gotten over her flirty habits.

Akemi on the other hand just brushed back her hair, blushing.

_Fujio-kun, Fujio-kun..._

"JUST WHAT THE HECK ARE YOU GUYS DOING HERE?!?!?!?" Aiko called out, shocked.

"Aw Ai-chan, at least ACT like you're glad to see us..." Leon sighed, shaking his head.

Satoshi perked up at the sight of Akatsuki. _Isn't that...?_

He quickly hid behind his mother, face flushed, confusing her a bit.

"Satoshi-kun...?"

"The FLAT 4!!!" Yuki called out, happy and relieved. "You guys just made in the nick of time!" She grinned at her older brother.

"Ne, Nick-kun?"

Her older brother nodded while she grinned. Suddenly she realized something.

_Saiki-kun... Weren't he and Akatsuki-kun really...?_

Her future self seemed to notice this thoughtful look on her face, and sighed.

_Is that why Satoshi-kun's acting so weird?_

"So, you guys, how do you expect to stop these two from wrecking our city?" Nick asked. The four boys seemed to just give them a smile at this.

Yuki looked down, blushing. "But first, we need to learn to work together... No matter how much of a grudge we hold against the other... Um.. Right, Akatsuki-kun?" Akatsuki looked a bit confused, but turned surprised.

"Oh, you know, Yuki-chan?"

"That's his fault over there," Kurumi stated, pointed at Gargos, who still seemed to be fighting against Waltz.

"Honestly, how are we supposed to stop those guys?" Aiko wondered aloud, glancing at Leon rather curiously. "Got an idea?"

"I think I may have one..." Nick started in a quiet voice. Fujio chuckled at this.

"Well, then what do you need us for?"

Akemi blushed. "Fujio-kun..." she whispered in a quiet voice.

Yuki perked up. "Nick-kun, I think I may know what you're talking about..." Turning to Akatsuki, she quickly bowed. "Akatsuki-kun, forgive me... for Saiki-kun..." Wasting no more time, she rushed up to her older brother.

"Nick-kun... You ARE thinking what I think you're thinking... right?"

"Depends, what do you think I'm thinking?"

"Um..."

Nick smiled, patting Yuki's shoulder. "Relax Yuki-chan, I'll tell you step by step." At this, Moriko simply sighed.

_That Yuki-chan..._

"Alright you two, do your best!!" Onpu called out.

"First though..." Nick started, turning to the group. "I need to ask you all a favor..."

**("Nagareboshi" by CooRie plays)**

Gargos and Waltz were still going all out and didn't notice the two Ojamajos fly up to the top of a nearby building, watching the fight.

"If we didn't have to break up this fight, I woulda had my money on Waltz..." Yuki stated with a sigh. "...Or maybe Gargos? Nick-kun, I can't even tell which one's winning..."

"They're evenly matched," Nick noted, thoughtfully. "Huh."

_...Interesting..._

"Why don't you just give up?!" Gargos shouted, pinning Waltz to the wall. Waltz quickly revived and kicked him off.

"Yeah, right!"

With another building destroyed in the battle, Akemi seemed unable to take this much longer.

"NICK-KUN!!! YUKI-CHAN!!! You two have to stop all this madness! I can't stand it! Fighting is wrong!!" she cried, tears already in her eyes. "ONEGAI!!!"

"Aw, I'd hate to ruin such a moment..." Yuki sighed. "But Akemi-chan's right." Nick nodded, and focused as soon as he saw their enemies charging at one another.

Just a few more inches and...

_Got it!!_

"_Santen kesshun! I reject!!_"

Right on target, a barrier sprung up between the two right before impact and flung them flying back. Yuki and Nick nodded before quickly splitting up.

"Did you forget me?" Yuki asked, floating near Gargos. "I don't take lightly to that." Gargos apparently recognized her voice and cursed under his breath.

"Brat, don't you ever know how to mind your own business..."

Yuki huffed. "Satoshi-kun's said that to me before, but do you honestly expect me to hold back? After what you did to my dear Saiki-kun and Momo-chan..."

At this, Gargos rose and dusted himself off. "Very well Shinoya, I'll take care of you first." The black witch growled.

"I'd like to see you _try_, Gargos."

Meanwhile, Nick had found himself in front of Waltz.

"Sorry buddy, but in order to get to Gargos, you'll have to get through _me_ first."

Waltz made a "huh" sound as he glanced up.

"Very well, I got rid of you once, I'll be glad to do it again."

Nick took caution and raised Hikari. "Alright, then."

"_Diamond Tempest!!_"

Waltz quickly hopped out of the way, and prepared himself. "Hmph."

Nick took a battle stance as well.

"Bring it."

"Do you think.... Yuki-chan will be alright?" Satoshi suddenly wondered, obiviously concerned. His mother looked surprised for a few moments before smiling.

"No need to worry, Satoshi-kun."

Akatsuki perked up and glanced at Satoshi for a good second.

_So that's Satoshi-kun... He resembles Saiki-kun so much... Exactly as he said.._

"Alright!" Kurumi exclaimed, obiviously in a good mood. "Now all we have to do is wait!"

"I can't believe we're pushing all this on our past selves..." Future Nick stated with the shake of his head. "But they insist... We were so stubborn back then..."

Future Yuki grinned. "And we still are."

Aiko made a "huh" sound. "It ain't that much of a surprise..."

The two nodded. "Indeed."

Future Yuki turned back to the battle, placing a hand on Satoshi's shoulder, only adding to the reddish blush. "Let's just see how this will go, shall we? Surely they'll be okay..."

"Surely..." Satoshi repeated, a bit uneasily. "I wonder."

"_No need to worry."_

At that he perked up, and looked around.

_Did I imagine it? That wasn't okaa-san... Oh forget it, I should focus.. For Yuki-chan..._

He just sighed. His mother glanced at him before grinning.

_Just like his otou-san... Saiki-kun..._

"Oh Satoshi-kun..."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"TAKE THIS, YOU BRAT!!!" Waltz exclaimed, unleashing about a hundred dark energy bursts for Nick, who easily dodged.

"How quickly you forget," Nick stated. "I'm wise to those little tricks. There's no way you're going to win this time."

Nick began charging up his energy, releasing it in the form of a series of energy ripples that sent Waltz flying.

_I can't let anymore of the city get destroyed... It's time to put an end to this..._

"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Nick exclaimed, nodding towards Yuki. She gave a cute wink, signifying she knew what Nick was about to do. Not wasting any time, Yuki quickly joined her big brother, and the two began glowing.

"Okay, first off, why don't you two stick together?" Nick taunted, raising his hands into the air and casting a spell that forced Gargos and Waltz to move closer to each other. The two villains struggled to break free from the magnetic spell, but no such luck.

"It's time we put an end to this, Gargos! I warned you that you were going to pay for what you did to our life!!" Nick exclaimed, the glow intensifying.

"_Energy of the mysterious night..." _Yuki chanted.

"_Spirits of the mystical moon..."_ Nick continued.

"_The golden auras of retribution will put an end to your wicked ways!!"_

Nick and Yuki's eyes began glowing a bright yellow.

"_Double Ojamajo Purifying Ripple!!"_

Responding to the siblings' call, a massive series of emerald green and coal black energy ripples erupted from them, each and every one striking the two villains until they both turned to stone and shattered into pieces.

"WHOA..." was pretty much all Aiko could say.

"That was INCREDIBLE!!! Why didn't those two TELL us they were holding back such power?!" Kurumi exclaimed.

"Simply put, Kurumi-chan, I wanted to surprise you with that one," Nick stated, waving his finger towards the cobalt witch apprentice.

"I can't believe that he's finally gone..." future Yuki stated, eyes still wide after witnessing such an amazing attack.

"You know what they say, right, future me? 'The bigger they are, the harder they fall'," Yuki responded.

"Don't think it's over yet, though," future Nick stated. "We still have Tabuu to worry about. He killed you once, Nick, and he could easily do it again..."

"Yeah? Well, as long as Yuki-chan's still breathing, there's no way I'm going to leave her side," Nick responded, pulling his sister close to him. Yuki responded by lightly pecking Nick on the cheek. _"Nankurunaisa_, right?"

"I've often wondered what that word even means," Moriko stated, a little confused.

"Well, simply put, Mori-chan, that word means 'everything's going to work out'," Nick explained. "It was a word that carried Yuki-chan and me through a lot of our trials, especially after the Delegates of Darkness made their move."

It was just then that Yuki noticed that her future self looked really scared.

"What's wrong, future me?" Yuki asked. The future Yuki responded with only two words:

"EVIL CATS!!!!"

Nick looked into the sky, noticing the source of future Yuki's fearful exclamation: there was a cat witch floating there, the aforementioned 'evil cats' hanging from her witch hat. Below the cat witch was what appeared to be a pinball board with three mystic seals protruding from it.

"What the heck is that?!" Nick exclaimed.

"EVIL CATS!!!!" future Yuki screamed again.

"That's Bomamba," future Nick explained. "One of the Subspace Army's Guardians. Yuki-chan had a bad run-in with Bomamba a few years ago, and she can't get that out of her head."

"Then I guess it's time for me to step up," Nick stated, floating into the air with the power that Sakura had granted him.

"WHOA!! How the heck are you able to FLY, Nick-kun?!" Moriko wondered.

Nick simply responded "My daughter" before flying high into the sky, going face to face with Bomamba.

"All right, cat lady, the dog kennel's been opened. It's time for you to say goodnight!!" Nick exclaimed.

Onpu sweatdropped at this. _What does that even mean?_

Bomamba responded to this taunt by unleashing a massive energy burst that Nick just barely dodged.

"Whoa. That was powerful," Nick noted.

"It's those cats!! They're the source of Bomamba's evil powers!! Try to get them to fall into the holes on that board of hers!!" future Nick exclaimed.

Nick gave a thumbs up, dashing for one of the board's mystic seals.

"EVIL CATS!!!!"

"Calm down, Yuki-chan," future Nick asked. No such luck.

"EVIL CATS!!!!" future Yuki screamed again.

"She DEFINITELY hasn't changed much..." Aiko stated.

"Oh, Yuki-chan... what are we going to do with you?" Kurumi wondered.

Back to the battle, Nick had found out that the evil cats couldn't seem to keep their balance when Nick tilted the board with the mystic seals. Once one of the cats fell into a hole, Bomamba seemed to lose a bit of her power.

"All right, I've got you now!!"

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Suddenly, one of the said 'evil cats' had launched itself at Nick, who almost lost his balance.

"Whoa! ...Didn't know they could do that..." he stated to himself before recovering.

"EVIL CATS!!!"

"Get ahold of yourself, future me!" Yuki exclaimed, shaking her future self a bit. "I thought I've always LIKED cats!" That said, her future self shuddered.

"They're... EVIL..."

"Yes, yes, I know! Evil cats! Evil cats!" the black witch repeated, looking royally peeved. "What the heck happened that was so bad anyway?!"

"...You wouldn't believe me if I told you..."

Yuki raised an eyebrow and Satoshi just sighed, looking up at the pale face of his otherwise pretty mother.

_I can see why otou-san wanted me to keep an eye on her..._

"_Yeah I can see why, too..."_

Immediately he perked up, looking around. "Yuki-chan, was that you?" Yuki perked as well, confused.

"Hm? What was me, Satoshi-kun?"

"Oh, nothing..." her future son replied, hastily. "I just thought... Never mind..."

"Uh..."

_I wonder what that was all about..._ she wondered, silently. _How strange..._

"AIIIIEEEE!!!! THE EVIL CATS!!!!"

Yuki's eyes immediately widened as she turned back to her brother.

"Nick-kun..." she whispered, quietly.

_I sure hope he'll be alright...._

Nick pushed down on the handle, getting a few more cats, and wiped off his forehead, sighing.

_Shoot, this is a lot harder than I thought..._

Glancing at Bomamba, he smirked at the sight of only three left. "Looks like it's close to game OVER!" he exclaimed, tilting the board to capture the cats, only for one to slip over the hole.

Bomamba seemed to laugh and the remaining cat had shot itself at Nick again, only for him to quickly dodge.

"Don't think I'll fall for that again!"

Slamming the board down, the last cat let out a terrified yelp before being shoved in the hole.

"Game!"

Yuki let out a sigh of relief.

_Thank GOODNESS..._

Nick grinned. "Looks like you're through!" he stated...

Only for Bomamba to began laughing.

"HEY!!" Nick shouted, obiviously annoyed. "What's so funny, you cat witch?!"

"Ooo! It's witches like these that give all the GOOD witches of the Majokai a bad name!" Moriko exclaimed, just as angry. "And gosh, this thing just won't quit!"

Akemi blushed, before smiling a bit. "Oh Moriko..."

Future Yuki flinched, looking frightened again.

_Oh, no..._

"On the contrary..." Bomamba stated with a wicked chuckle. "Kid, it's only begun!"

Nick backed off, only for more evil cats to appear and for the future Yuki to let out a terrified scream.

"THERE'S MORE OF THEM!!! THOSE EVIL, EVIL CATS!!!"

"Seems this cat witch has a few extra tricks up its sleeve..." Akatsuki observed, holding his chin in thought. "Something tells me defeating it a second time won't be easy..."

And he was right, as Nick saw, the holes for the cats to be put in were now on the top of hills, as well as the board was a different shape then the first one.

Nick growled. "You just won't give up will you...?" Bomamba smirked.

"Let's see you _try_."

Yuki gulped.

_Nick-kun... He may need some extra help for this... I'm... worried...._

"Alright!" Nick quickly hopped onto the handle and tilted the board getting a decent amount of cats. Suddenly, the cats fired at him, causing him to lose his balance and fall off the handle.

"W-Whoa!"

"EVIL CATS!!!!"

The other quickly looked worried, especially Yuki.

"NICK-KUN!!!"

Wasting no time, she quickly activated her spell.

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii! Hurry, save Nick-kun!!!"_

Responding to the spell, a black platform rose up and cushioned her older brother's fall. Nick sighed in relief.

"Thanks, Yuki-chan!"

"No problem, dear brother!"

Nick smiled before rushing up the several other black platforms that appeared to form stance back to Bomamba.

"That was a dirty trick!" he yelled before tilting the board, getting more cats. He then smirked.

"But now, see ya!"

Kicking at the handle, the rest of the cats fell into the hole, and Bomamba let out a loud screech.

"NOOOOOOO!!!! You brat! I will definitely get you for THIS!!!"

Nick took caution, as future Yuki's eyes widened.

_Nick-kun..._

Nick staggered, having lost a lot of energy. "Y-You... wish..."

"There's no way..." Moriko started, only for Akemi to call out Nick's name, obiviously concerned.

"NICK-KUN!!!"

But, just as Bomamba charged...

"_Pirika pirilala poporina peperuto..."_

Suddenly, Bomamba was trapped by a mysterious pink light, surprising everyone.

"W-What?!"

"_Purification!!!"_

Bomamba let out a scream before vanishing in the pink light, and Nick perked up.

"Who...?"

Future Yuki looked confused as well. "Wasn't that...?"

Akatsuki's confused look turned relieved.

"Doremi-chan..."

"Doremi-chan...?"

Nick looked up, only to see a figure above him. One with long flowing ruby red hair and bright magenta eyes. Even though she wasn't an odango... There was no doubt...

"DOREMI-CHAN!!!"

"Hey Akatsuki-kun, Kellysi-chan," the future Doremi winked.

"Miss me?"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"So. I see Gargos and Waltz have finally been destroyed," Tabuu stated to someone that was bowing down before him.

"Indeed, my master," the mystery figure stated. "By the two siblings."

"I see. I guess they are to be considered a threat to our plans after all," Tabuu noted. "We only have three Guardians left, so we must act quickly. Dispatch Chamelan to the city and destroy them, my apprentice."

"As you wish, Master Tabuu."

With that, the second figure disappeared, leaving Tabuu with his thoughts.

"Hmm... those brats are starting to sound very familiar to me..."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Deep in the outskirts of the city, we can see a female figure searching for someone.

"He's here. I know it. I just hope I can find him before it's too late..."

The girl then zooms off, her long, silver hair flowing in the breeze.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"DOREMI-CHAN!!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up and embracing the pink witch apprentice tightly.

"Okay, okay, it's good to see you, too, Yuki-chan," Doremi replied, returning the embrace. "How has the younger duo been doing?"

"Well, Doremi-chan, you're not going to believe this, but the young twerps here, actually defeated all of the Four Heavenly Kings!!" Moriko exclaimed. This simple statement caused Doremi's eyes to widen to about the size of dinner plates.

"They DID?!" Doremi exclaimed.

"No problem at all, Doremi-chan. And Mori-chan, I'd REALLY appreciate it if you didn't call us 'twerps', okay?" Nick exclaimed. Moriko quickly blushed at this.

"Wow, you two sure are strong, aren't you?" Doremi wondered. "Momo-chan would have been so..." Doremi quickly covered her mouth, only to have Nick wave his hand.

"It's all right, Doremi-chan. I already know. I actually saw Momoko a little while ago, after I got attacked by Tabuu..." Nick explained, only to be cut off by Doremi's surprised yelp.

"You were attacked by HIM?! How the heck did you survive?!"

"To make a long story short, Doremi-chan, I actually found myself in this weird-looking limbo world, but I managed to escape with the help of Momoko and a few dear friends," Nick continued, remembering how he'd met up with Mana and Saiki in the odd limbo world. "We've only got three more Guardians to take care of..."

"...and then, the way to Tabuu should be open," future Nick finished.

"_Nani?_" Yuki wondered.

"The six Guardians are the obstacles that block entrance to Tabuu's lair," future Nick explained. "I have no idea where his lair could be, but I have a feeling that once the last of the Guardians are vanquished, we'll find the way in."

"Don't you think that's a little unwise?" Onpu wondered. "We ALL know what kind of power Tabuu has!!"

"I understand that, Onpu-chan, but I have a feeling that if ANYONE can stop Tabuu and the Subspace Army, it's going to be these two," future Nick continued, pointing to Nick and Yuki.

Just then, before future Nick could say anything further on the matter, Yuki was knocked down by something. The only problem was, no one could see what had just attacked the younger black witch apprentice.

"What the heck was that?!" Aiko wondered.

"Chamelan. It's gotta be," future Yuki noted. "He's another Guardian. He's able to cloak himself by completely disguising his magical aura. It makes him virtually invisible..."

"That means we're gonna have to be really careful," Nick noted, only to be knocked backwards and into a dark portal that had just appeared. Before anyone could make a break for the portal, it began closing rapidly.

"NICK-KUN!!!!" Yuki exclaimed, reaching for the portal to no avail.

All of a sudden, Yuki felt someone rush by her and leap into the portal about a split second before it closed.

"Who was that?" Yuki wondered. She turned to future Nick, who seemed lost in thought.

_Wait. Could that have been her?_

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Nick looked around at the strange area he'd been knocked into. It seemed like a spherical stage, covered completely by a massive cloak of magical energy.

Out of curiosity, Nick performed a quick spin attack near the energy cloak, and a circular section of the cloak disappeared, revealing what appeared to be a forest and some floating playing cards behind the stage.

Before Nick could react, something lashed out at him. The green witch apprentice spun around and noticed a giant playing card holding a spear swinging said weapon wildly at him.

"Okay, now if THAT isn't weird, I don't want to know what is..." Nick stated, drawing Hikari and striking back at the card.

"_Diamond Tempest!!!"_

The shards of light thundered forward, easily dispatching the playing card.

"Could someone tell me what the heck is going on?!" Nick exclaimed, never known for being patient.

"This is Chamelan's lair, Nick! Don't you remember?"

Nick instantly perked up at this voice. It didn't seem familiar to him, and the only ones who had ever called him by his first name without the suffixes were Momoko and Ichiyou.

When Nick turned around, he noticed a girl around his future self's age, if four or five years younger. She had long, silver hair that was tied back into a long ponytail, and bright magenta eyes that were a tad brighter shade than Doremi's eyes. She was wearing a pink jacket with a yellow heart emblazoned at the very center, and a set of purple hiking shorts.

"I still can't forget the last time we got trapped in here... it was just lucky that your sister was able to get you out in time..." the new girl continued.

Nick still looked VERY confused. "Um... who might you be?"

The new girl looked a little annoyed at this. "What, you don't remember, Nick? It's me!! Julie!!"

Julie flushed at the confused look Nick still had. That's when something hit her. "Say, Nick? Why do you look younger now?" she wondered.

"What I'D like to know is how many more times I'm going to have to explain this," Nick joked. "Long story short, I'm from the past. My future self said they could use our help with the Subspace Army. There's only three Guardians left, and..."

Nick was cut off when another giant playing card, this one holding a sword, lashed out at him. Julie was already on it, lashing out with a powerful burst of silver magic that quickly disintegrated the card.

"Easy as pie," Julie commented. "Oh, yeah. I guess I didn't tell you. Do you know what a Purifier is?"

"A special kind of witch or wizard with the ability to purify any form of dark magic imaginable?" Nick explained.

"Good. I guess that means I can skip a few steps," Julie continued.

"Look, Julie, how about we skip the history lessons for right now? We have a Guardian to find here!" Nick stated.

Julie blushed a deep crimson at this. "Oh. Sorry."

"First off, do you know where Chamelan might be?" Nick asked.

"Hold on. I'll see if I can find him..." Julie responded, closing her eyes and concentrating.

"Okay!! He's over to your right!!" Julie exclaimed. "You'll have to find a way to remove some of that cloak in order to find him!!"

Nick nodded, heading to his right and spinning very rapidly. The force of this spinning created a rather large hole in the dimensional cloak...

...and there was Chamelan.

Not wasting a single second, Nick took to the sky and performed a sort of loop around Chamelan, blasting it back a few feet.

"All right, it looks like this is working!" Nick exclaimed. "Just have to keep this up..."

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"_WHAT DO YOU MEAN SHE JUST LEFT?!?!"_

_Momoko back up, surprised. This must of been the first time in her life... Er sorta, that she had seen Saiki so mad._

"_Simple, when I turned around, she was gone, just like that," she explained, laughing despite herself. Saiki raised an eyebrow at this._

"_So... You let your eyes off her for a moment's notice, and she vanished... Isn't that what I just strictly said what NOT to do? You have GOT to be kidding!"_

"_Look Saiki-kun, calm down alright? I'm sure she wouldn't of gotten far..." Momoko stated. "After all, you know your way around here like she does, and isn't she YOUR kid? We should be a-okay!"_

"_Apparently, you don't understand." Saiki concluded, still stressed with the information that his daughter was missing. "Momoko-chan, Mana-chan has something special. She can travel back to Misora, where she was killed. And last time I checked, NEITHER OF US COULD DO THAT!!! We already thoughtlessly let our spirits go... Let Yuki-chan AND Nick-kun go... So we're stuck! Mana-chan has YET to do that!"_

_Momoko turned pale, finally getting what the wizard was saying. "So... if Mana-chan... She wouldn't do something like that right? Um, would she?"_

"_Oh, let's see. She's loyal, strong-willed, reliable... But not irresponsible. She's much more mature than your average 10-year-old..." Saiki thought for a few moments. "But if she's anything like I was in my younger days, we definitely have a problem."_

"_So... Um... What do we do, Saiki?" the yellow witch asked. "Like you said, we can't go back to the living world... We had a chance but chose not to... But we didn't think Mana-chan would..."_

"_Oh man..."_

_Saiki began pacing around, getting more and more concerned by the second. "Momoko-chan, this is bad, real bad... I had promised myself to protect Mana-chan... But if her soul is brought back to the Human World... I'd of just written her will's will right there! And gosh, if Yuki-chan finds out, she'll... she'll be devastated... Momoko-chan... Momoko-chan... What are we supposed to do?!"_

_Suddenly, Momoko brightened up. "Wait just a minute, Saiki-kun! I bet Nick could handle this... We may not be able to travel back... But we still have instant messages."_

"_You forget," Saiki gestured to a crystal sphere, which seemed to show what was going on in the Human World. "Nick-kun's stuck in Chamelan's dimension... Along with that Julie-chan girl."_

"_And you forget that it's Nick we're talking about," Momoko replied. "All we need to do is to tell Yuki-chan... And she'll tell Nick..."_

"_FORGET IT, Momoko-chan." Saiki scoffed. "I'd rather let my spirit go to hell than let Yuki-chan know any of this. After everything... And Satoshi-kun.. I'd HAVE to tell her... And no way am I doing just that. We wait for Nick, and tell him about Mana-chan, and it'll be in his hands. End of story."_

_Momoko sighed, putting her hands on her hips. "Saiki-kun, I completely understand where you're coming from... And it's not your fault... In a way, we're practically brother and sister ourselves, and Yuki-chan's a dear friend too, and believe me, I'd give ANYTHING to prevent hurting her.. But you know, keeping quiet can hurt her too..."_

"_What she doesn't know won't hurt her... At least for now." He shook his head. "Momoko-chan, I couldn't. I never have been... Yuki-chan... While I'd give anything to talk to her, just one more time... I couldn't bear it... And Onii-chan, too..."_

_Glancing at his sad gaze, Momoko nodded._

"_Alright then, she's your girl. But how about we tell Nick...? You trust him, don't you?"_

"_Let's... put that option off... Only if he asks."_

_Sighing, she nodded. "Always willing to squeeze through the 'tell or don't tell' route... We'll wait... But what if Mana-chan..."_

"_**If**__..." Saiki finally cracked a smile. "If that happens, Momoko-chan... Just don't kill me."_

"_You're already dead, I'M already dead! How could I do that?!" Momoko demanded, a little disturbed. "And I'd probably blame Mana-chan..."_

"_Sheesh..." Saiki sighed. "Really Momoko-chan, you haven't changed a bit since Yuki-chan had introduced us."_

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"Any ideas on where he might be next, Julie-chan?" Nick asked, his eyes darting around.

"Who knows, who knows. I'm not like that guy your sister really liked..." Julie thought for a moment. "It was Taiki, right?"

Nick laughed. "Saiki," he corrected. "And I'm surprised you know him... Yuki-chan talks about him in the future?"

"Oh yeah, it was a little annoying... But as soon as he... Uh..."

Nick shook his head at Julie's hesitant look. "Don't worry, the past Yuki-chan and I already know... About him, and Momoko too..."

"What, really?! My god, Nick! You should of seen your sister after that incident! Her eyes were dull and that bright smile she always wore... The one I'd grown to envy... It was gone... So..." Julie just sighed. "Geez... You know what, forget it. All I know is that she stopped talking to me afterwards... 'She's just upset about him' you always said... That girl even murmurs his name in her sleep you know... Me, I only met him once or twice and he's nice, though a bit..."

"LOOK OUT!!!"

Cutting off Julie's babbling, Nick quickly shoved her to the floor, protecting her from what looked like one of those walking cards from Alice in Wonderland. "How about you fill me in, later? You alright, Julie-chan?" he asked, looking down at her.

Julie flushed. "Y-Yes... Sorry about that.. You always did say I talked too much..."

Nick nodded and got up, looking around. "So, where is he now?"

"To your left in 3... 2..."

Getting the message, Nick quickly spun around, washing away bits and bits of the magical cloak. His attention was quickly caught when he saw Chamelan trying to get away.

"Heads up! _Diamond Tempest_!!" he shouted, slashing Hikari around the oversized lizard, and by the sounds of the loud yelp, it took quite some damage.

Chamelan then rose up, causing Nick to tense up. _What's he up to...?_

Then, the hat came off. Literally.

And before he knew it, both he and Julie were surrounded by more cards, and more magic.

Of course, that meant more trouble as well.

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"Um, so what just happened?" Yuki wondered. Satoshi shook his head, completely unsure.

"I... I honestly have no clue, Yuki-chan..."

"Well... It's Nick-kun, so we shouldn't be worried.." Moriko stated, sighing. "That lucky charm I gave him should help..." Future Nick just looked confused.

"What lucky charm?"

"Like brother, like sister." Moriko huffed. "It's something special I made myself... If it's broken though.. There'll be hell to pay. It has bits of memories of mine _and_ Akemi-chan's.."

Akemi giggled. "Yes, we spent some time on it... It really is quite special..."

"I WAS going to give it to Tooru-kun.." Moriko sighed. "But Akemi-chan insisted, we take it to Nick-kun, since he obviously needed it.."

Future Nick and Tooru looked at each other and shrugged.

Akemi cracked a soft smile. "Moriko-chan..." she whispered. "You liar..."

Suddenly there was a quick gust of wind, causing everyone to take cover.

"A-Akatsuki-kun, what's going on?!" Doremi yelled, latching onto his arm.

"I d-don't know, Doremi-chan..." Akatsuki stated just before it subsided. Noticing the pink witch had only tightened her grip on his arm, he sighed.

"Doremi-chan..."

Satoshi then felt another gust and shut his eyes tightly. _What now?!_

Feeling a soft blow on his face, his eyelids fluttered open and widened.

Right in front of him was a girl with long black hair, kissing his cheek!

"Y-Yuki-chan...?" he asked, confused. _No..._

Yuki turned to him.

"Satoshi-kun, what is it?"

He turned blank when the girl drew back, revealing her deep sea blue eyes. "_Who_..."

"_Onii-chan..."_

"Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi perked up and glanced at Yuki. "Um Yuki-chan, didn't you see...?" She only looked more confused.

"Didn't I see _what_?"

Looking back, he noticed the girl had vanished.

"Oh, nothing..." Satoshi uttered quietly, a hand reaching up to where he had been kissed. _I didn't even feel it..._

"You think, this was a spirit's work?" Future Yuki suddenly wondered. "Maybe a lost soul.. wandering around... Or maybe..."

"Saiki-kun..." Akatsuki mumbled, looking tired as he ran a hand through his hair. "No... Don't think so.." Doremi looked up, a bit curiously. _Akatsuki...kun..._

"Maybe..." Satoshi whispered, soft enough that no one could hear. "Maybe it was that girl..."

_Question is, who is she? Have I..._

Her voice rang in her ears. Soft... Gentle... Full of emotion..

His eyes widened.

_Masaka..._

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"Julie!!" Nick yelled when she collapsed, clutching her head in pain.

"N-Nick..." her voice wavered. "I-It hurts..."

"Julie..." he started, bending down to console her. Julie shook her head and winced.

"Nick, it looks like I won't be of use... So go for it, alright? I'll stay right here..."

Nick opened his mouth to protest but shut it when he realized she was right and got up.

"Okay coward, where are you?!"

Hearing Chamelan's chuckling, he quickly raised Hikari and slashed into the cloak.

_Tick._

Julie's eyes widened in shock and she snapped out of her pain for the time being.

"NICK, GET OUT OF THERE!!! IT'S A..."

Before she could finish, there was a loud explosion that nearly knocked Nick to the ground. Cursing, he got up.

"L-Looks like... You scattered some bombs... Not too bad."

"_Says the uncle with dirt and scratches littered aaaalll over his body!"_ Nick heard a ghostly, yet cheerful sing-song voice echoed.

"What the..."

"_Hello Nick-jii-chan!"_

Jii-chan? There wasn't a doubt...

"Mana-chan!!" Nick shouted as he saw his future niece appear in front of him, beaming, but no long transparent.

Raising a hand, she winked. "Miss me, dearest jii-chan?"

Nick made a face.

"Mana-chan, why are you here?!" he demanded, immediately on the offensive. "You're supposed to be with Saiki!!" Mana looked surprised.

"Ouch. Uncle, I thought you'd be glad to see me..."

Julie perked up. "Nick... Who... Who is that?"

"Oh, I'm a friend," Mana answered, cheerfully. After all, who'd believe she was really Nick's dead future niece? "And I hear Otou-chan call you _Julie-chan_.."

"_Otou-chan_...?" Julie repeated, still confused. "And who's your otou-chan?" Mana shook her head.

"That's for me to know and you to find out! Hey Nicky, can I try out the big bad Chamy Carly?"

Nick quickly blushed a bit at the 'Nicky' part and sighed. "It's Chamelan, and how would you do that? Mana-chan, aren't you..."

"I have more power then you think, Nick!"

"Alright then..." Nick lowered his gaze, a bit curious. _I wonder what she'll do..._

**("Flowers" by TERRA plays)**

"No worries!" Mana exclaimed, before jumping up. "Alrighty, Chame-chan! Let's do our best!"

Nick sweatdropped while Julie cocked her head to the side. _Now that I think about it... She looks like Yuki-chan..._

Mana spun around, gathering a bundle of the cloak, and smirked when she noticed the numbers on the aced cards she uncovered.

She waved her hand at the last bit.

_Tick._

"MANA-CHAN!!!" Nick yelled, surprised.

Mana jumped back before the boom, and looked up, with a smile still on her face. "Not too shabby, Chame-chan. But I won't give in! Watashi, makenai!"

"That's something Yuki-chan would say..." Julie murmured, surprised. "But... I thought.."

Mana's ear perked at the sound of Chamelan's evil laugh and she spun around.

"Chame-chan, you just gave yourself away!" she exclaimed, jumping up and doing a backflip, revealing more of the forest, and Chamelan himself, scatting away.

"No way man!" Mana yelled, lifting her hands which omitted a crystal-blue aura. _"Spiritual Blast!!"_

A beam was fired that hit Chamelan straight in the back, causing him to let out a painful yell.

"Checkmate!!" Mana exclaimed before Chamelan faced him and waved his hats, causing the cards around the unsuspecting girl to attack her.

"Aah!" she cried before the cards vanished. Opening her eyes, she realized Chamelan was gone as well.

"Oh so _that's_ how we're going to play... Fine then!" Without hesitation, Mana flipped off her treasured white hat. "Hats off!"

Glowing a snow white aura, she jumped up high and spun around at high speeds. _"Spiritual Drill!!"_

Nick perked up. _Mana-chan..._

The entire area was then uncloaked, revealing a vulnerable, surprised Chamelan. Mana smirked.

"Got'cha! _Spiritual BLAST!!_" she yelled, firing an all-out blast at Chamelan. He quickly fled, realizing he could not take another hit, and Mana knew it.

"I got you on the ropes now... Huh?"

_**Ba-dump.**_

Mana suddenly staggered back, falling on her bottom. "Oh god... Not now... Not now..." She breathed deeply and rapidly, as if she had a seizure. "A-Anytime but now... Not when..."

"M-Mana-chan....?" Nick asked, approaching his fallen future niece, a bit confused. "Are you..."

Mana quickly snatched up her white cap and put it back on. "Jii-chan... Forgive me," she whispered, raising her hands. "I need more life energy..."

"_Spiritual Drain!!"_

Nick suddenly felt something suck away his energy and fell back.

"NICK!!!" Julie yelled, surprised and angry.

Mana stood up, dusting herself off. Nick noticed that all her previous wounds had vanished.

_Did she just..._

"I have to go," she repeated, hastily. "I'm weak enough as it is. Thank you for the life force... I can't play with you anymore..."

"M-Mana-chan!" Nick called, reaching out, only for her to disappear. "M-Mana-chan..."

"N-Nick..."

He perked up, glancing at a clearly angry Julie.

"What did she DO?!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Chamelan laughed spryly, taking advantage of Nick's weakened state to charge for him.

"YOU STAY AWAY FROM HIM!!!" Julie exclaimed, jumping to her feet and discharging a Purifier energy burst that forced Chamelan to back away.

_Shimatta... this can't be how it ends..._ Nick thought, struggling to get to his feet. _I still have to protect Yuki-chan and the others..._

Chamelan came back for another strike, but a fierce aura enveloped Nick and knocked Chamelan away yet again.

"I'm not going to let you take me down, you invisible freak!!" Nick exclaimed, floating into the air while surrounded with a soft green glow.

"The wings of destiny won't let me shy from my task!! Yuki-chan needs me, and there's no way in HELL that I'm going to let her down!!" Nick exclaimed, a bright flash covering the area.

"_Sugoi..."_ Julie stated, quite in awe at this new trick.

"_For one who never backs down in the face of challenge... the Green Purifier of Bravery, at your service!!"_

Chamelan actually began to look scared, knowing that with one more hit, he would be done for. Nick seemed to know that as well.

"What do you say we finish this once and for all?" Nick challenged. Raising his staff, Chamelan charged forward, intent on finishing the fight.

As soon as Chamelan got close enough...

_CLANG!!!_

Julie hadn't even seen Nick move a finger, but in a split second, Nick was behind Chamelan, the damage dealt.

It took a few seconds, but eventually Chamelan evaporated into nothingness, the only remains being his staff.

Nick slowly floated down, his Purifier outfit disappearing. Not wasting any time, he walked over to Julie, holding his hands towards her.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

With those words, Julie glowed with a soft white light, and before she knew it, the throbbing pain in her head went away.

Julie couldn't help but smile. "Good job, Nick. You make me so proud..."

Nick suddenly remembered something. "You said you know future me..."

"I met him at Momoko's funeral," Julie explained. "You wouldn't believe the way he was acting, Nick... he almost seemed like a shell of his former self... I just let him cry on my shoulder for a few minutes... we became really good friends as the years passed. Whenever the two of us were hanging out, I could see his old self slowly coming back... we got split up when the Subspace Army attacked, and I really haven't seen him since..."

"He's been traveling with the rest of the gang. You can see him just as soon as we get out of here..." Suddenly, Nick realized something. "Oh, crap! Which way IS out?!"

Julie couldn't help but laugh at this. "Future you was always impatient..."

"I'll just bet that Yuki-chan's worried sick about..." Nick was cut off when he noticed that the lucky charm that Moriko had given him was in pieces, having been knocked off by one of the bomb explosions during the battle.

"_Shimatta..._ Mori-chan's going to kill me..." Nick noted.

"Is that all you're worried about, Nick? I can fix that!" Julie exclaimed, walking up to the broken charm and holding her hands out, which began to glow with a Purifier light.

Within seconds, the charm was as good as new.

Slipping the charm around his neck once more, Nick looked at Julie for a few seconds. "_Arigatou gozaimasu, _Julie. You don't want to know what Mori-chan would have done to me if she found out I broke that thing, even if it was an accident..."

"Don't worry, Nick. Even if she tried to kill you, Yuki-chan probably wouldn't let that happen," Julie responded.

At that very moment, Nick noticed that the area around the two was dissolving to reveal the city of Misora at the exact same spot where he'd been pulled into Chamelan's pocket dimension.

"Well, I guess that's one problem down," Nick replied, only to be just as quickly knocked down by his little sister, who had just embraced him.

"You're all right!! Thank goodness, Nick-kun..." Yuki stated, a few tears flowing.

"You say that as if I've been gone for five years, Yuki-chan," Nick responded.

"This is a dangerous world, Nick-kun!! Do you realize how much I've been worrying about you since we came here?" Yuki continued. "Every time you disappear on me, I get so worried!! I always worry that you'll never come back for me!!"

Yuki looked like she was about to start crying, but Nick put his finger on her lips, effectively stopping Yuki's rant and causing her to blush madly.

"Yuki-chan, remember. I made a promise to you that I'd always protect you no matter what the situation. And there's no way I will EVER go back on that promise. _Nankurunaisa,_ remember?" Nick explained.

Yuki stared at Nick for a few seconds before tightening her embrace on her big brother. "I'm sorry, Nick-kun... I just worry about you so much... Remember when dad attacked me that one time, but you stepped up to defend me?"

(flashback)

"_KNOCK IT OFF, DAD!!!" Nick exclaimed, stepping in front of his little sister. "I don't know what you think you're doing, but you'd better stop it!! Yuki-chan has nothing to do with your marriage troubles!!"_

_Jeff only growled at this. What he'd seen his wife doing was still weighing quite heavily on his mind._

"_Just because you're mad at okaa-sama DOES NOT GIVE YOU THE RIGHT TO TAKE IT OUT ON MY SISTER!!!" Nick shouted, only to feel a heavy impact on the side of his head. The last thing he heard was Yuki screaming his name._

_A few hours later, Nick slowly opened his eyes, wondering why his head hurt like hell. He just as quickly noticed that he wasn't in his own room._

_Nick took a look to the side, and noticed that Yuki was crying like she never had before._

"_Why, dad?" Yuki kept repeating._

_Nick thought for a few seconds. Something was really wrong now. Their father had really been acting out since the discovery of their mother's affair._

"_What I don't get is why he's taking it out on me and Yuki-chan," Nick asked himself. "We weren't involved in this at all..."_

_Nick took a look over at his battered sister. 'I only wish I'd gotten home sooner...' Nick had just been coming home from soccer practice with Momoko when Jeff had gone after Yuki._

"_I didn't do anything... why did you hurt me like that, dad?" Yuki continued, apparently not noticing that Nick had woken up._

'_Yuki-chan's taking this pretty hard...' Nick thought. 'But I haven't forgotten my promise.'_

_Nick slowly stepped off of the bed. This caught Yuki's attention._

"_Oh, Nick-kun, you're awake..." Yuki stated, still sounding a little faraway._

"_Where's dad?" Nick wondered._

"_He went to work," was Yuki's simple answer. Jeff worked most of the day at the local manufacturing plant. This was the reason that dad had been so distant lately: his work was taking up a lot of his time._

'_Good,' Nick thought. "I'm sorry, Yuki-chan. I... I feel like I failed you... If only I'd gotten home sooner..."_

"_It's not your fault, Nick-kun..." Yuki responded, still a little distant._

_All Nick could really do was walk up and hug his little sister. After a few seconds, Yuki sighed contently and returned Nick's embrace._

_Neither one of them knew how long they stayed like that._

"_Really, Yuki-chan... I'm sorry I wasn't there to protect you..."_

"_You're here with me now, Nick-kun. That's all that matters to me."_

_Yuki took a look out the window: a light rain had begun falling._

"_I just wish that this would stop... I don't like what dad's become..." Yuki stated._

"_You're not the only one, Yuki-chan..." Nick replied._

'_Okaa-sama always used to love the rain... I'm so worried about her now...' Yuki thought._

"_Does mom know that dad knows about this?" Yuki asked._

"_I'm not sure, but god only knows what dad's going to do if she comes back..." Nick responded. "He's already lashed out enough at us. I don't even want to know what he'd do to mom..."_

"_Nick-kun... this is scaring me..." Yuki stated, looking like she was about to start crying again. "I just want things to go back to the way they used to be... I want dad to stop this..."_

_Nick just pulled Yuki closer to him. "I don't know if this is going to stop... but I promise you, I'll be there every step of the way. I won't let dad hurt you anymore, Yuki-chan. He's not going to get away with this. I can assure you that."_

_Yuki was already crying, but now, she was smiling. "Arigatou, Nick-kun..."_

(end flashback)

"That's why I worry about you so much, Nick-kun..." Yuki continued. "Because of things like what dad used to do... It just drives me crazy whenever you disappear on me like you just did..."

Yuki looked at Nick, her eyes shining. "I don't like being worried... it's not fun, Nick-kun..."

However, before Nick could voice his opinion, another rumbling began shaking up the city.

"How many of these stupid rumblings ARE THERE?!" Nick exclaimed.

"Um, guys? I think we've got bigger problems to worry about!!" Moriko exclaimed, pointing into the sky.

In the sky, there were two massive dog creatures, one red and one blue, chained together by a golden sphere. They were staring hungrily towards the Ojamajos.

Meanwhile, sticking to a nearby building was a gigantic spider with a golden mask on her face.

"What the heck?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"They're both Guardians. The dog is Cerberus, and the spider is Queen Bella," Julie explained. "Cerberus is terribly powerful, but its weakness is the chain that binds them. If you can use it to make them crash together, we may be able to defeat it. Queen Bella likes staying in high places, but it can't really survive a big drop. We just gotta make it fall..."

"They're the last of the Guardians. Tabuu must really be getting desperate to send them both out at once," future Nick noted.

"Tabuu may not know it, but he just handed us our best opportunity to finish this off once and for all!!" Nick exclaimed. "But I think we're gonna need to split up in order to take them both on at once. Akemi-chan, Mori-chan, Tooru, Fujio, you guys go take care of Queen Bella! Doremi-chan, Ai-chan, Onpu-chan, you three take Akatsuki and Leon and see if there's any more disturbances!"

"What about us, Nick-kun?" Kurumi asked.

"Kurumi-chan, you, Julie, Yuki-chan and I are going to take care of Cerberus. I've had just about enough of Tabuu thinking that he can just do whatever he wants with this world!! It's time we taught him a lesson not to mess with us!! Now who's with me?"

Everyone cheered in response before splitting into their assigned teams and heading off.

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Tabuu looked down at the battle that had just begun. "Hmph. Even if they do destroy the last of the Guardians, the fools know not of the perils that await in my realm. They will not get any farther than this."

"And if they make any attempts on you, I will crush them with my mighty fists," the mysterious boy stated.

"You most certainly will, my apprentice."

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"_Phew." Mana wobbled as she let her body rest on the wall. "Okay... I certainly overdid it back there..." She then grinned, pumping her fists._

"_But look at that! Jii-chan's power gave me so much energy! I feel like I could dash a marathon without stopping!" she laughed. "How cool... He's so strong! But still..."_

"_And just where have you been, Mana-chan?"_

_Mana perked up, and looked over, noticing her father standing there, arms crossed, anything but happy. "Oh... Uh, hi otou-chan."_

_Saiki growled, obiviously angry about what had happened. "What were you THINKING?! Mana-chan, you could know very well what happens if you use too much energy in the Living World! And what's worse, you not only put yourself in danger, you nearly killed Nick-kun!"_

_His daughter sighed. "I know, I know. Chill, I only sucked up a tiny bit, nothing fatal, just slightly weak."_

"_Slightly?" he repeated dubiously. "Mana-chan, I swear... You need to be more careful, there are worse things that can happen OTHER than being dead, like BEING a ghost. Getting used to the spiritual life is hard enough... Do you have any idea how I'd feel about knowing about you putting yourself at the very end of the line constantly?"_

_Mana's frown deepened. In truth, she hadn't given much thought to her dad's feelings at all._

"_I'm sorry, otou-chan."_

_Saiki glanced at her, and sighed deeply himself. "I suppose.... it can't be worse than..." he paused, and bit his lip. "Than... you know. As long as you don't put yourself in danger. Mana-chan, as long as you don't join in anymore fights, you can visit the other world."_

_Mana smiled brightly. "I'll be sure to, otou-chan!"_

_Saiki smiled himself before sighing. "Mana-chan, consider yourself very lucky."_

_Silence._

"_Why?" Mana asked, cocking her head to the side in an undeniably cute manner. "Because I survived?" Her dad laughed a bit._

"_Because you weren't the one who had to face your aunt's anger."_

_More silence._

"_...Oh."_

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Yuki looked long and hard at the vicious dog... or dogs in front of them. "So... how do we use the giant... thingy against them?"

Kurumi grinned. "Easy as pie." she turned to her look-alike's brother. "Nick-kun, I'll distract them for you, and you yank that sphere far! And I mean, far-far!"

"Far-far?" Nick repeated, sweatdropping a bit. "Can do, Kurumi-chan. But here's the question: how in the world will you be able to distract that huge thing?"

The gray witch giggled.

"That... my dear Nick... is something you'll have to see for yourself."

"I wonder where Satoshi-kun is..." Yuki suddenly wondered, looking around.

"H-Here?"

"Ah Satoshi-kun! Listen up! While everyone else is busy... doing whatever, you need to stay put, you hear?" Yuki sighed at her future son's rather confused expression.

"As in, don't get yourself into trouble? Find the future me, and stay! That's it... Just be safe!" she blushed. "Please... I don't want to lose you the same way I lost Saiki-kun... Satoshi-kun, hurry!"

Sighing, he quickly turned away, but paused for a moment, glancing back at his future mom, and heading off. _I should be saying that to you..._ he thought, quietly.

"Okay Nick-kun, let's go for it!" Yuki exclaimed, snapping back to the two. "Kurumi-chan...?"

Kurumi quickly fixed her long, flowing hair into a high ponytail. "I'll hate myself for getting dirty later, but this is an emergency. Okay, on it, Yuki-chan!"

Without further ado, she jumped in front of Cerberus, which acknowledged her with a growl. She waved, smiling as if nothing happened.

"What's up, dog?" She smiled brightly. "How are you today? Good? Okay then, let me fix that..."

"_Moonlight Clash!!"_

Unleashing a series of attacks, Kurumi quickly faced Nick. "Hurry!" Getting the message, Nick quickly flew past the two dogs, and gave a good strong shove, sending the beast back, knocking its two heads together.

He quickly recovered, snarling, not looking too happy. Kurumi huffed as the red one went after her, and the blue one went after Nick.

"Yuki-chan!!"

Yuki nodded, grinning, and she did a few flips, kicking the sphere with all her strength, sending it even farther back, howling as the two heads once again clashed.

"Not too shabby!" Nick exclaimed. "Just a few more pushes and..."

"On it!!" Yuki stated, running towards the sphere. Kurumi smiled.

_That Yuki-chan... Always wanting a big piece of the... What?_ Her eyes then widened, taking in the sight of the sphere glowing a golden yellow. _No... Not now! No way!!_

"Yuki-chan, STOP!!! YUKI-CHAN!!" Kurumi yelled, earning a confused glance from Nick.

"What's up, Kurumi-chan?"

Yuki stopped, only a few feet from the sphere, looking back, curiously. _What's her problem?_

"Nick-kun, get your sister," Kurumi ordered, gritting her teeth. "And hurry! Do you have ANY idea how much trouble she's in?"

Nick perked up at the word 'trouble' and quickly rushed towards Yuki.

Yuki stood there, perplexed, not having heard what her look-alike had said. _I wonder... What's Kurumi-chan so worked up for? I hasn't seen her like this since after she had us switch places for a day... just to see what it was like_.

She perked up when she heard a loud snarl, and turned around, facing yet another dog, only this one was yellow with blood-red eyes and a flaming mane.

"What on..."

The beast stamped its paw, sending the black witch on her back, lifting up and staring at it in fear before letting out a high-pitched scream.

"ONII-CHAN!!!"

"Get AWAY from my sister!!" Nick shouted, slashing away the yellow Cerberus before scooping Yuki into his arms, and jumping back.

The golden beast growled and charged, only to meet with a hard-as-diamond shield and end up staggering back. The two siblings gasped lightly as Kurumi appeared, hands on hips.

"Time for you to be put down!" she yelled, raising her hands.

"_Moonlight Trance!!_"

The gray witch's dark brown eyes seemed to glow hypnotically, making Cerberus fall down, snoozing. Nick took this chance to set down Yuki and spin-kick the sphere, earning a painful yelp.

Kurumi turned to him. "You owe me big time," she mouthed, shaking her head before speaking. "Are you alright, Yuki-chan?"

The black witch nodded. "Yeah, thanks to Nick-kun," she smiled brightly. "Arigatou!"

Nick blushed as Kurumi continued. "This is my fault... If I had warned the two of you before time, this wouldn't of happened."

She sighed deeply, holding her head. "I'm really sorry you two."

Yuki blinked for a couple for minutes before patting the gray witch's shoulder. "No worries, Kurumi-chan. If it hadn't of been for you either way, we would of been in some big trouble."

Kurumi smiled, ruffling Yuki's hair. "Now I see why Saiki-kun and Doremi-chan had such huge likings for you." The black witch giggled before turning to her older brother.

"Now, Nick-kun, let's end this!"

Nick grinned. "Couldn't agree more.... And Kurumi-chan?" Kurumi perked up, a bit confused.

"Y-Yes?"

"Thanks."

Fighting off a blush, she smirked.

"My pleasure."

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Satoshi looked back cautiously at the battle. "I sure hope Yuki-chan's doing alright back there..."

"_Do you really mean that?"_ a voice echoed in his ear, sounding somewhat sad. Satoshi's eyes widened as he spun around, searching for whoever just talked.

"Who... Who's there?"

"_That would be me."_ the voice answered as Mana appeared in front of him, sitting on a stump, transparent as ever.

Satoshi gulped, surprised. "You... You're that girl..."

Mana sighed and raised her hand. _"Yes... That girl... Satoshi..."_

"How do you know my name?" he demanded, impatient. "Who are you anyway?!" Mana frowned.

"_You should know that better than anyone."_

"How?" her older brother asked, confused. "You look like Yuki-chan... But I know I've never met you before."

"_Oh really?"_ Mana gently took off her cap, running her hand through her dark black hair. _"I won't tell you what my name is until you figure it out... But let's cut to the chase."_

Satoshi took caution as the wing blew, the girl's hair flowing gently in the breeze as she took a deep breath.

"_He's upset, you know."_

Satoshi looked confused. "What do you mean?"

"_I mean just that,"_ Mana stated, wistfully. _"Just that... Onii--Satoshi. Farewell for now."_

With a wave of her hand, she vanished, leaving one pondering Satoshi.

"Just what does she mean anyway? 'He's upset'? Who?"

He bit his lip. _I wonder..._

Quickly shaking his head, he dismissed the thought. _No, it..._

_...It's not possible._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"TAKE THIS, YOU SPIDER FREAK!!!" Moriko exclaimed, firing a Sakura Scatter towards Queen Bella, who nimbly dodged.

"ARGH!!! I'm getting sick of this thing always moving!!!" Moriko exclaimed.

"Let me try, Moriko-chan," Akemi stated, holding her hands towards Queen Bella.

"_The frost-covered determination of a shy girl, take this!! Ojamajo Crystal Cannon!!"_

A burst of ice blue energy shot from Akemi's open hands, freezing Queen Bella in her spot.

"Okay, let's try this again!!" Moriko exclaimed. _"Sakura Scatter!!!"_

This time, the pedals hit their mark, doing quite a toll of damage. This still didn't faze Queen Bella, who broke out of her icy prison and hopped to another building, using her silk strings to keep her attached.

"That's SO not fair!!" Moriko shouted.

Just then, Akemi noticed that Cerberus was closing in on their area quite fast, having already been knocked around a few times by Nick and Yuki.

Suddenly... "Wait!! Moriko-chan, I have an idea! What if we can knock both Cerberus and Queen Bella into each other?""

Moriko's eyes brightened considerably at this. "That's a great idea, my dear Akemi-chan!!"

This caused Akemi to blush again. _She still hasn't changed, even after twenty years..._

Shaking it off, Akemi turned towards Nick and Yuki. "Nick-kun!! Yuki-chan!! We're going to try to knock the two Guardians into each other!! Could you send Cerberus over here?"

Nick waved to Akemi, signaling that he got the message.

Akemi stood her ground, focusing her powers and eventually emitting a soft, crystal blue aura.

"_KESSHOU HENZURU!!!"_ Akemi exclaimed, calling on her special power and dashing towards Queen Bella.

Queen Bella just stared at the crystal witch apprentice, wondering what she was up to. Akemi gave a cute wink before swinging her foot forward, knocking Queen Bella into the sky. Akemi began swinging her arms around in midair, easily juggling Queen Bella in the sky, looking as if she wasn't even trying.

Nick took this as his cue to fly into the sky and deliver his own powerful kick to the chain sphere, sending Cerberus towards where Akemi and the others were.

Akemi followed this up by swinging her foot in a horizontal motion, knocking Queen Bella towards the flying Cerberus.

The two Guardians collided in a fiery explosion, and when it cleared, there was no sign of either Cerberus or Queen Bella.

"We... we really did it!!!" Doremi exclaimed. "WE ACTUALLY DID IT!!!"

"That doesn't mean we're done yet," future Nick stated. "Tabuu is still waiting."

"Are you NUTS, Nick?!" Julie exclaimed. "You know what kind of powers Tabuu has!! It'd be suicide to go in there unprepared!!"

"Relax, Julie," future Nick responded, gesturing to Nick and Yuki as he continued. "I KNOW what kind of power that he has, but I also have a feeling that if anyone can stop Tabuu, it's going to be these two."

"Just show us the way, and we'll take care of business," Nick stated.

"All right, if you really think you're up to it," future Yuki replied, walking towards the town square with the others following.

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Looming over the fountain in the center of the town square was a circular gate with six slots around its perimeter.

"What do we need to put in those slots?" Nick wondered.

"When they were defeated, each of the Guardians left behind a crystal. We need all six of those crystals in order to open this portal," future Yuki explained.

Yuki suddenly gasped in surprise and pulled out the very jewels they were looking for: a balloon-shaped ruby from Donbalon, a hat-shaped topaz from Chamelan, a chain-link sapphire from Cerberus, a fish-shaped emerald from Girania, a cat-shaped diamond from Bomamba, and a spider-shaped amethyst from Queen Bella.

"Where did you find those?" Akemi exclaimed.

"Gargos dropped these after we blasted him and Waltz into little bitty pieces," Yuki responded. "I figured we'd need them, so I held on to them."

"You do realize that once you go in there, the only way out is if you defeat Tabuu," Julie stated. "You two need to be really careful in there if you're going after him."

"I've been telling Yuki-chan that almost my whole life," Nick replied, causing Yuki to blush like mad as she fitted the crystals into their respective slots on the gate. Once the last crystal was in its place, the gate opened to reveal a shimmering blue portal.

"We'll be back," Nick stated.

"_Watashi... makenai!!_" Yuki exclaimed, shooting off a peace sign.

Not wasting any more time, both Nick and Yuki jumped into the portal, which instantly closed once they were in.

_Good luck, you two,_ both future Yuki and Satoshi thought.


	3. Act 3: The Great Maze

"This place is weird," Yuki stated as she and Nick continued to explore the area. This entire place appeared to look like a series of rising and lowering platforms (that you'd usually see in _Donkey Kong_) that rested in a purple abyss which seemed to stretch on into infinity.

"You're not the only one that's thinking that, Yuki-chan," Nick responded, hopping up another set of platforms with Yuki not too far behind. "This place seems like it could go on forever."

"Hey, Nick-kun, I think there's a door up ahead," Yuki noted, pointing forward: there was indeed a door standing there.

"Where do you think it leads?" Yuki wondered.

"Only one way to find out," Nick responded, walking up and opening the door. A bright flash of light filled the area for a few seconds, and when it cleared...

"Um... Nick-kun? Why are we back in my old room?"

Nick took a good look around, confirming what Yuki had been thinking: they were back in her room at their house.

"Man, I haven't slept in this bed since we ran away the first time," Yuki stated, relishing in the memories.

"Hold on, sis. Something's not right here," Nick noted. "I'm not sensing any other life energies or magical auras in the house outside of our own."

"Really? That's weird, huh?" Yuki wondered, pacing back and forth.

Nick suddenly noticed something. He looked outside the window, and what he saw confirmed what he had been thinking: there was no city out there, just the same purple abyss the two of them had started in.

"Is that purple stuff covering the whole town or something?" Yuki asked once Nick had relayed what he'd seen. "I've never seen that kind of thing before..."

Suddenly, Nick had an idea. "Wait a minute, Yuki-chan. We know that this is the road that leads to where Tabuu is hiding. Maybe the energies in this realm are reading our memories and the space around us is taking shape based on those memories..."

"You know... I think you're right, Nick-kun..." Yuki stated, opening the door and heading down the stairs.

"I can't believe everything's still intact..." Yuki noted, taking note that even the family photos on the mantelpiece were still untouched.

"You were so cute back then, Yuki-chan," Nick replied, staring at the photos and going through his own memories.

"I still am, right?" Yuki asked, striking a cute pose.

Nick couldn't help but nod. It was then that he noticed a picture that he hadn't before: one of a teenage Michiru Shinoya, Nick and Yuki's grandmother.

"Obaa-chan was so pretty, wasn't she?" Yuki noted. Nick remembered that even though his mother's last name was Kelly, like his own, when Yuki was born, Rhea had been reminded so much of her mother that she had given Yuki the surname Shinoya in Michiru's memory.

Throughout all of this, Nick had been checking each and every door in the house, hoping to find a way onward, but so far, he'd come up with nothing.

"Why don't you try the front door, Nick-kun?" Yuki advised. Nick facepalmed, wondering why he hadn't thought of that in the first place.

Heading for the front door, Nick could see more purple light coming from outside. "I think I found the way onward, Yuki-chan!!"

Yuki stared at Michiru's picture for a few seconds. "_Sayonara, obaa-chan_."

That said, Yuki followed her big brother into the purple light.

"Say, Nick-kun... have we been to this place before?" Yuki asked when she could see again. This time, they had apparently ended up in a hospital. "There's something familiar about this particular hospital, but I can't quite place it..."

"You're telling me you don't remember, Yuki-chan?" Nick replied. "This is the hospital where you were born! I promised I'd never forget that day..."

"Is this place empty, too?" Yuki wondered. Nick concentrated for a few seconds, scanning the area.

"Yep. No other life signals or magical auras. We're the only ones here."

"What does Tabuu want by going through our memories?" Yuki asked herself, still a little confused.

"I wish I knew myself, Yuki-chan," Nick responded as he continued checking each of the doors for the path onwards.

Yuki took a good look at this recreated memory. Everything was exactly as she remembered it: the same swinging doors to the room where she first saw the light of day, the same chairs where Jeff and Nick sat waiting during the process. Every bit of it felt so real, even though Yuki knew that this realm was taking form based on their memories.

"Yuki-chan, I think I found the way!" Nick exclaimed, pointing to a set of swinging doors with more eerie purple light behind them.

Once they had made their exit, they found themselves back in the purple abyss again, with only a few platforms leading to a large blue door.

"After you, sis," Nick stated, letting his little sister lead the way to the next area, which turned out to be a field filled with rather strange plants and a spiky spire in the center.

"Do you remember this place, Nick-kun?" Yuki asked.

"Nope. I'm not getting anything," Nick responded before noticing that a sign had appeared nearby. Taking a good look at the sign, he read it slowly so Yuki could hear it as well:

_Gillwing must be vanquished if you wish to go further._

"Huh? Who's Gillwing?" Yuki asked. As if to answer her question, a massive roar nearly knocked the black witch apprentice to her knees. Nick looked into the sky and noticed that a massive dragon-like creature with an equally long tail flying around the spire in the sky.

"I'm going to bet five bucks and say that THAT is Gillwing," Nick noted. The creature roared and charged for Nick.

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Nick quickly jumped out of the way, earning a yelp from his little sister.

"Wow, I think I like that thing a lot more than Girania..." Yuki noted, blushing a bit. "All the colors, oh so pretty."

Nick groaned. "Yuki-chan, this isn't the time for that!!" The black witch flushed and nodded, quickly hopping to her older brother's side.

"So... How exactly do we get rid of that... that thing?"

"It'll come to me... it'll come to me..." Nick mumbled, eyes searching the oversized dragon fish for a weak point. He turned determined as he readied Hikari.

"If Mori-chan were here... I'm pretty sure she'll say to aim for anywhere except the mouth."

"Or the tail..." Yuki added, glancing at the long tail flying behind the Gillwing.

"Whichever works!" Nick snapped, tightening his grip.

"Okay!"

The black witch jumped up, landing on the Gillwing's back. She bent over in front of the creature eyes, waving.

"Hello!"

Almost automatically, Gillwing roared and lifted his tail to smack Yuki off like a fly, only for her to quickly hop up, dodging the tail, and letting it slap him square on the head.

Growling, Gillwing proceeded to do something else, and tried to shake the witch off. Yuki grasped around one of its great horns, holding on for dear life.

"You're... not... going to get rid of me that easily!" She said through gritted teeth as she put all her remaining strength not on holding to the horn in her foot as she stopped down.

"Down, boy!!"

Letting out a yelp, Gillwing tried to sweep her off, forcing her to take cover behind the horn, yelping herself.

"_Aah_!!"

"YUKI-CHAN!!" Nick yelled before bringing down Hikari.

"_Diamond Tempest!!"_

Slashing through, Gillwing was quickly forced back, allowing Nick to safely catch his little sister in his arms.

"Yuki-chan, you alright?"

Yuki smiled brightly. "I am now. Arigatou, Nick-kun!" Nick set her down, and they both looked towards Gillwing, who seemed to try to shake off the after effects of Nick's attack.

"What now, huh?"

Yuki shivered. _Just looking at that thing... It makes me feel nervous, now... I feel a bit scared..._

She clenched her fists. _No! I can't give up! I REFUSE to stay the scared little girl I was when Nick-kun started protecting me! I have strength don't I? No WAY am I taking it for granted!_

_Watashi... Watashi... Makenai!_

She gulped, searching the Gillwing for something they could use against the beast, and her brown eyes flickered at something rather odd.

_I coulda sworn the tail was longer than that..._

Her mind clicked as the image of Nick pushing Gillwing away from only a few moments earlier flashed in her eyes and they widened. _That's __**it**__!!_

"Nick-kun, do me a huge favor okay?" the black witch asked, almost hopping with excitement. Her big brother looked at her, confused.

"Yes?"

"Go over to Gillwing and give him a real good shove! A real good strong one! Right on the chin, like earlier!" she exclaimed, pointing like crazy, only added to his confused look.

"Uh... This part of a plan?"

"Hey! I-I'm working on it!" Yuki shouted, blushing darkly. "Just do it, okay?!"

Nick shrugged. "Alright. If you say so, Yuki-chan."

Taking a quick battle stance, he patiently waited until he saw Gillwing charge for him. Smirking, he raised his hands which began glowing a bright green color.

"Checkmate, Gillwing!! _The bow and string of a determined boy, take this!! Ojamajo Arrow of Light!!_"

Unleashing the arrow, Gillwing flew back, Yuki grinning when she caught the thing's tail appear to shrink.

_Just as I thought._

"Nick-kun!" she called out, winking. "Care to give me a boost?" Nick nodded.

Yuki smiled brightly as Nick gave her a boost into the air. "I sure hope you know what you're doing!!" her older brother quickly called out.

"No worries, no worries! Just believe in me, alright?"

Nick nodded, though a bit uneasily.

The black witch took a deep breath and landed on Gillwing's back, earning surprise from the dragon-fish. Quickly taking her chances, she starting running down. Gillwing roared and tried to shake her off, only for Yuki to latch herself around its tail.

"Hey, cut that out!"

He growled, and Yuki huffed. "Alright then, Gilli." She raised her hand, which glowed a dark purple. "Take this!!"

"_Shadow Claw!!"_ she yelled, slashing at Gillwing's tail, earning a painful roar before jumping up.

"Now to end this!" she exclaimed, holding out her wide open palms.

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii..."_

They glowed a coal-black before shooting a pure white beam.

"_PURIFICATION!!!"_

The Gillwing froze in the light, and eventually dissolved, letting Yuki to land on her feet back on the ground, letting out a sigh of relief. _It's..._

_...over._

"Yuki-chan!!"

"Nick-kun!!" she called out, surprised. "We did it..."

"_Well done."_

"Huh?" The two siblings perked up as a bright red door appeared in front of them.

"Yuki-chan..." Nick started, nodding towards his little sister. Yuki nodded as well, and sighed.

"Let's go."

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"You think... They'll going to be alright?" Doremi wondered, holding her hand close to her heart. "I can't help but be at least a little worried."

"Doremi-chan..." Akatsuki started to say.

"No worries, Doremi-chan." future Yuki stated, closing her eyes. "They're little Nick-kun and me. I'm positive they'll do well."

"Okaa-san..." Satoshi started, blushing a bit before sighing. "Um... I need some time alone, okay?"

"Satoshi-kun?" Kurumi wondered, a bit confused. Satoshi waved his hand before continuing on.

"Geez, he's sure more distant than his dad ever was," Leon noted, folding his arms. Fujio sighed himself.

"Though we can't really blame him, I suppose."

Akatsuki made a face. _No... There's something wrong. But what?_

"_Satoshi."_

Satoshi perked up and looked over hesitantly, noticing the usual transparent Mana, frowning.

"_You_..."

"_Satoshi..."_ she started before her older brother quickly shook his head, and walked away.

_Don't look back._

Mana bit her lip, fighting back tears.

"_Oh... Onii-chan... Why?"_

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The door opened and Nick and Yuki immediately gasped at the sight.

"N-Nick-kun... Is this?"

"A traveling carnival," Nick confirmed, sighed. "How could I forget? You were always so excited whenever Mom and Dad took us here..." He noticed Yuki staring at the appearingly abandoned carnival with a distant but thoughtful look on her face.

"What is it, Yuki-chan?"

"Nick-kun... This isn't just any carnival we went to..."

"Hm?" Nick suddenly noticed what his sister was really staring at.

A ring-toss game...

...with a fluffy tan teddy-bear as one of the prizes. How could he forget?

_I remember that bear..._ he thought, quietly. _It was at this carnival where Yuki had accidentally wandered off for the first time... I could never forget how worried I was... And when I finally found her... She was carrying a bear just like that one... And also... _he_ was with her... Basically it's..._

...where he'd first met Saiki.

Yuki sighed. Her boyfriend had given her that bear to make her feel better... She'd even named it after him to show her gratitude. How _could_ she ever forget that?

_Saiki-kun..._

"_Look... Er... Yuki-chan. Cheer up. We'll find your older brother. I said I'd help you didn't I? Um... Ah! Got it! Yuki-chan, is there a particular prize you want?"_

"_...The bear? Well, I'll get it for you. Is that okay?"_

Shaking her head, her mind just started to focus on the way he had said her name.

"_Yuki-chan... Yuki-chan... Yuki-chan..."_

She breathed in deeply.

_Saiki-kun..._

"_He's in a good place. A good one."_

"_Because my dear brat, he's dead."_

"_He's... __**dead**__?"_

"_Shikashi... that all changed... When Otou-san was _killed_ protecting us..."_

"_He was another person who'd gladly give his life to ensure your happiness."_

"_...I never got a chance to tell him anything..."_

She clutched at her heart.

_D-Darn... Just seeing this place makes me miss him a hundred times more. I k-know he's not gone yet, in my time... but... still..._

"Yuki-chan..." Nick started, putting his hand on Yuki's shoulder.

"H-He's still dead... Isn't he?" she choked out, tears falling from her eyes. "N-Nick-kun... How can I say that...? He was my best friend, too... I-It's so sad that I... that I..."

"_That I just can't bear to say it_!!"

"I know..." he sighed, holding his little sister close. "Yuki-chan... Just be strong for now, okay?"

Yuki sniffled, but nodded, wiping the tears from her eyes. "Yes... All for Saiki-kun's sake..."

Nick smiled, and nodded.

"Yuki-chan... I..."

At that precise moment, the entire background turned black, catching the two kids' attention.

"W-What?"

"_Heh."_

Nick got up, looking about. "Come out, you coward!!" He then caught something thrown at him, and raised an eyebrow.

_A card?_

Yuki stood up. "Where are you?"

In a collection of darkness, the creature formed. It looked a bit like a jester, clad in mostly red and orange. But there was no body, just a head, gloves for hands, two boots for feet, and a cloak. Lifting a card, he revealed an evil grin, along with beady blue eyes.

"_Hehe."_

Yuki gulped. "And this is..."

_To continue forward, you must defeat Jackle._

Nick shifted into another battle stance.

"Yuki-chan, I'm gonna take a quick guess and say this is Jackle."

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

Jackle simply laughed, throwing more razor playing cards for the two siblings, who nimbly dodged.

"Why don't you stop throwing your cards, come down here and face me like a man?!" Nick exclaimed, only to be met with another playing card to the face.

"NICK-KUN!!!" Yuki exclaimed, rushing up to her brother.

"It's all right, Yuki-chan. It's just a scratch," Nick reassured, stepping to his feet and floating into the air. "If it's a fight this freak wants, it's a fight he's going to get!!"

With that said, Nick flew off towards Jackle, with Yuki following him on the ground.

Jackle didn't take too well to this, throwing more and more cards towards the green witch apprentice, who easily dodged them by moving up and down as he soared.

"Okay, we might have a problem here. How am I supposed to attack that thing if it doesn't have a body for me to attack?" Nick exclaimed, only to notice that Jackle had just run out of playing cards. As the jester went to reload, Nick saw it: Jackle's cape had just turned solid.

"There we go!!" Nick exclaimed, charging forward and grasping Jackle's cape. The evil jester immediately began trying to shake Nick off, but Nick shoved Jackle forward like he had with Gillwing, and Jackle's cape slipped off.

"Did we get him?" Yuki asked as Jackle recovered his cape and began throwing more cards.

"Apparently not," Nick replied, dodging around the cards.

Jackle then laughed, holding his left hand towards Nick. Almost instantly, playing cards appeared all around Nick.

"What the...?" Nick exclaimed. But, before the cards around him could attack...

"_The waves of my own feelings, take this!! Ojamajo Twilight Rain!!"_

Hundreds of twilight energy beams shot forth and vaporized all of the cards surrounding Nick.

"Thanks for the save, Yuki-chan," Nick stated.

Yuki shot off a peace sign. "No problem, Nick-kun!!"

Quickly shifting his attention back to the business at hand, Nick suddenly remembered something he'd noticed about Jackle's cape. When Nick had shoved the evil jester backwards, he had went scrambling for the garment.

"Of COURSE!!!" Nick exclaimed. "He's helpless without that cape of his!! Yuki-chan, we have to get that cape off of him, then smack him one before he gets it back!! Could you help me with that?"

"By all means, dear brother!!" Yuki exclaimed, charging for where Jackle was. The evil jester responded to this by continuing to throw his razor-sharp playing cards.

"Seriously, Jacky, you need to get a new act!!" Yuki exclaimed, earning a rather confused look from Jackle. This distraction gave Nick ample time to fly forward and shove Jackle back again.

However, when Jackle went for his cape this time...

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii!! Stay right where you are!!"_

Just a few inches from his cape, Jackle was frozen in his place by Yuki's spell.

This gave Nick the opportunity he was looking for.

"You're mine now, circus freak!!" Nick exclaimed, flying forward and slashing at Jackle with his Jewelry Poron. This single slash seemed to end the battle, as Jackle screamed once before evaporating. The only remaining evidence of Jackle's defeat was his cape.

"Well... that was rather anticlimactic," Nick noted.

"_Good job."_

"There's that voice again!" Yuki noted. "Who are you?"

"_Soon enough,"_ was the only response that Yuki got before another bright red door appeared.

"I wonder who that was?" Yuki asked herself as she and Nick entered the door.

Nick was the first to notice that they were back in Misora again, but with the familiar purple abyss hovering in the sky.

"We're home..." Yuki stated.

"Not quite..." Nick responded.

Nick took a look around. Everything was exactly as he remembered it, but one building in particular caught his attention as he noticed who was standing by the window.

Just then, Yuki noticed as well. "Isn't that the _Crystal Night_? That famous nightclub?" Yuki asked. "That's where we saw mom coming out with that Hikaru guy, right?"

Nick nodded. "Yeah, Yuki-chan. This is where all the trouble began."

"Never thought I'd see that place again," Yuki noted. "This was where you first made the discovery about the Delegates of Darkness."

Nick also seemed to notice another red door inside the nightclub. "Guess we've gotta go inside to continue," Nick stated. "Whatever you do, Yuki-chan, _stay by me_, okay? I really don't want to lose you again."

Yuki nodded, sticking close to Nick as he opened the door to the nightclub. Nick had to cover his ears to avoid letting the pounding music get to his head.

"What's the matter, Nick-kun?" Yuki asked.

"These nightclubs always had to have the music on full blast..." Nick stated. Yuki suddenly remembered that Nick's ears had been very sensitive ever since he was born.

Yuki took a good look around, hoping that she might have noticed someone she remembered. There, in the corner, was the siblings' mother, talking with the man who eventually be known as Gargos. She seemed to be enjoying herself. _Back before the bubble burst..._ Yuki thought.

"Is that _okaa-sama_?" Yuki asked, tempted to shout out to her mother, but instead deciding to keep quiet, lest they be discovered by someone.

After a little while, Nick and Yuki finally reached the door, opening it, only to find themselves out on a river barge at the ocean.

"Huh?" Yuki asked. "Why are we out at the ocean?"

Suddenly, something clicked in Nick's head. "Wait a minute. If I remember correctly, wasn't this where..." Nick quickly stopped himself short, not wanting to relive that painful memory...

(flashback)

_The thirteen-year-old Nick was humming a little tune as he was on his way home from soccer practice. He had noticed that the blonde girl from America had been staring at him throughout the whole practice session._

"_I wonder if she likes me..." Nick wondered, only to have his train of thought interrupted by the sound of someone screaming. It seemed like it was coming from the nearby ocean._

"_Huh. Some stupid surfer must have wiped out and hit his head or something," Nick stated, continuing on his path._

_Just then, the screaming started again, and Nick stopped in his tracks: he recognized that voice now!_

"_Wait just a damn minute!! That's no stupid surfer... that's my sister!!" Nick exclaimed, heading towards the barge that jutted out into the ocean. He could just barely see it, but there it was. There was no mistaking the flailing of Yuki's delicate arms._

"_What the hell am I going to do?!" Nick exclaimed, knowing full well that he couldn't swim._

_Suddenly, Nick slapped his forehead. "Of course! I almost forgot about what Majonomi taught me!!" Nick exclaimed. "I just hope I don't screw this spell up like I did the last time I tried it..."_

_Not wasting a single second, Nick held his hands towards his sister, who was still flailing her arms about in a desperate attempt to alert someone to her situation. Nick's hands began glowing with a bright green light._

"_I hope this works..." Nick stated to himself before chanting his magic words._

"_Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore!! Give my sister a bubble so she won't drown!!"_

_Responding to his words, Yuki was encased in a massive bubble that slowly brought her out of the water and right to Nick's side._

_When the bubble popped, Nick caught his sister and shook her, hoping she'd wake up._

_After a few seconds, Yuki slowly opened her eyes, Nick being the first person she saw._

"_Yuki-chan... what happened?" Nick asked._

_Almost unexpectedly, Yuki threw her arms around Nick, crying her heart out. "Oh, Nick-kun... he..."_

_That was all that Yuki could say in her shock. Thankfully, Nick understood._

'_How could dad do that to his own daughter?' Nick thought, rubbing Yuki's back in an attempt to soothe her. It seemed to be working._

"_Nankurunaisa, Yuki-chan," Nick stated. Yuki just held her brother tighter, not wanting to let go._

'_Dad's going to pay for this,' Nick thought. 'I'll make sure of that.'_

(end flashback)

"I don't know why he even did that," Yuki wondered, just now remembering that day.

"Jealousy and anger can screw with even the keenest of minds, Yuki-chan," Nick stated.

Yuki sat down on the edge of the barge, her legs dangling.

"I'm just glad that you've always been there for me, Nick-kun," Yuki stated. "I really appreciate it."

"No worries, Yuki-chan. I'm just doing my duty as a big brother," Nick responded.

Yuki then noticed that another red door had appeared. "You ready, Nick-kun?"

"Let's do it," Nick replied, the two of them entering the door.

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Yuki perked up as the door opened, revealing a large stage with purple adornments.

"Wow!! This must be..." She clasped her hands together, a stargazed look in her eyes. "This was the concert Onpu-onee-sama invited us to! The first real-life Onpu concert I ever went to!!"

Nick grinned. _Yuki-chan always loved Onpu-chan... So I had asked her for some special tickets to begin with... She was really quite excited to meet her, really..._

"But, then... Nick-kun, remember how fate decided to be nice, but you decided to be a meanie?" Yuki grinned. "Saiki-kun was here, too. Because Tooru-kun was a big fan, too... And Doremi-chan wanted to go on an actual date with Akatsuki-kun and..."

Nick sighed. "How could I forget? Yuki-chan, those were the days..."

"You never were nice to Saiki-kun... That is, until he stepped up for me that one time from that bully... And I told him that the two of you were so alike..." Yuki smiled. "Memories like this... Still make it so hard believe you're such good friends with him, now!!"

Her older brother blushed as a flashback invaded his mind.

"_I'm going to repeat: LET GO OF MY SISTER!!"_

_Saiki huffed, holding Yuki closer to him. "Mind your own business, alright? What I can't understand is how you end up losing Yuki-chan so easily."_

_Yuki flushed. "S-Saiki-kun..."_

_Nick clenched his fists, hoping to draw back the urge to punch him right then and there._

"_What's with the haughty speech?" he challenged, shifting into a battle stance. "What do you want with her?!"_

"_If I answered that... You'd punch me for sure."_

_Nick growled. "Yuki-chan, get over here. NOW." Yuki perked up and blushed, stammering for a few moments._

"_N-Nick-kun... The thing is that... I... er..."_

_Her older brother's eyes widened when the boy began delicately fingering her cheek, relaxing her a bit._

"_As an older brother... You should try to understand the younger sibling's feelings..." he started, sighing as he brushed a few strands of Yuki's hair behind her ear. "If Yuki-chan doesn't want to go, she shouldn't have to."_

"_And who are you to give me advice like that?" Nick asked, seething. He did NOT need someone scolding him, especially when that someone had Yuki in his arms._

"_S-Saiki-kun..." Yuki started, starting to fear the worst._

"_Hm? What is it, Yuki-chan?" he asked, looking down at her with a confused gaze_

"_N-Nick-kun is... That is, uh..."_

"_Saiki-kun!"_

"_Ah, Akatsuki-kun! Onii-chan!" Saiki called out, blushing a bit, surprised. Yuki's ears perked up._

"'_Onii-chan'?"_

_Nick looked confused to the fact that Akatsuki had a completely uncanny likeness to Saiki._

"_So..." Noticing Yuki, Akatsuki sighed. "That must be your girlfriend."_

_Yuki blushed like crazy at the mere mention of the word 'girlfriend', but Saiki nodded._

"_Actually..."_

"_Is this a friend of yours?"_

_Nick looked annoyed. "I am not...!!"_

"_AKATSUKI-KUN!!!"_

_Both Nick and Yuki perked up at the voice._

"_D-Doremi-chan?" Nick started as he spot the odango rush up, panting a bit._

"_Akatsuki-kun!" she pouted. "You know how impolite it is to... Oh, hi Kellysi-chan!" she called out, waving. "Fancy meeting you here! Akatsuki-kun, this is Kellysi-chan! Kellysi-chan, this is Akatsuki-kun! He's uh..." Blushing, she quickly tucked a lock of ruby red hair behind her ear. "A friend of mine. More like, boyfriend really."_

_She glanced over at Saiki, and turned confused. "Yuki-chan? Saiki-kun? Well... This a pleasant surprise."_

"_T-That reminds me!! Saiki-kun... Please... Um... Let go, now."_

_Removing himself, he patted her head, looking back at Doremi. "You know her, Doremi-chan?" Doremi looked surprised._

"_So... THAT girl you liked... It was... Yuki-chan?"_

_Yuki flustered, and quickly pecked Saiki's cheek before scampering off to her older brother, who was blushing a bit himself._

"_Nick-kun..." she started, taking her older brother's arm with the widest smile she could force. "Don't hurt Saiki-kun, I mean... You do know..."_

_His eyes widened. Does she...?_

"_You do know... that I have a crush on Saiki-kun... right?"_

_She does._

"_...Oh."_

Nick had to laugh a bit at that memory. _I'm surprised Yuki-chan didn't try to kill me then._

"I can't believe the air between you two was so tense back then... Compared to now." Yuki continued. "Though I'm pretty sure I WOULD of killed you if... Remember that time you two actually agreed about something?" She grinned.

"You both agreed I was cute."

The green witch apprentice blushed before shaking his head and moving on. "We need to find the next door."

"Okay! So let's go on Onpu's stage! I've always wanted to know what it was like to go up there!" his little sister exclaimed, giddy.

Nick nodded as the black witch squealed, quickly hopping up the stage and looking around, gasping at every little thing as he followed.

"Wow, this is so cool! So this must be how Onpu-onee-sama feels! Sugoi!!" Yuki ran up to the mike. "I wonder how nervous Akemi-chan must of felt when she finally became an idol..."

She then thought for a few moments. "She always did have a talent for singing... I just thought... I wonder if she also became a ballerina... Like she wanted before."

Nick shrugged. "Who knows?"

"Hey Nick-kun!"

"Hm?"

Yuki turned to him with a bubbly grin. "As soon as we stop Tabuu, I think the first thing I'm gonna do after confessing my love for Saiki-kun... will be chasing after my dream of becoming an idol! And not just any, I want to be world-famous... Like Kurumi-chan!!"

He laughed a bit. "Why not?"

Suddenly the stage turned black like before with Jackle, making both Yuki and Nick tense up.

"_You have both been doing well so far, young heroes."_

"I prefer heroine..." Yuki called out, blushing a bit. "Nick-kun, it's that voice again." Nick nodded.

"So... What now?"

"_Now you all must defeat the next creature..."_

_Have fun with Clawz._

Yuki gulped. "N-Nick-kun? I have a b-b-bad feeling about this..."

The ground beside them then separated, causing Nick to quickly hold Yuki close.

"Yuki-chan... Clawz! I know you're out there, you coward!! Come on out!"

"Veeery perceptive, little one. I see you two are the ones who did away with Jackle. I, on the other hand, won't be so easy."

As a bunch of dark blobs began to form the demonic cat himself, Yuki could only say two very familiar words.

"Evil... cat."

Nick quickly released Yuki and shifted into battle stance. "Alright then!!"

His attention turned to the several mice with little strings hanging out. With a wicked chuckle, Clawz began to lit the fuses, making Yuki turn pale.

"E-Evil cat..."

Quickly taking his chances, Nick zoomed through, destroying every exploding mouse before it boomed, and doing an uppercut on Clawz' stomach.

"Don't think I'll back down."

Clawz cackled.

"_A feisty one, huh. This will be fun."_

"EVIL CAT!!" Yuki screamed out, earning an anime-styled fall from Nick.

_Oh... So THAT'S how it happened._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"I dare you to try and stop me, kid," Clawz taunted. "You may have defeated Gillwing and Jackle, but you'll never get past me."

"You don't want to mess with me, cat boy," Nick shot back. "I made a promise, and evil cats like you won't stop me from fulfilling that promise!!"

As more exploding mice appeared on the scene, Nick wasted no time in destroying each one before it could explode, once again opening Clawz to a direct attack.

"You're mine now!!" Nick exclaimed, flying towards Clawz, only to be knocked back as the demonic cat flung more exploding mice at him.

"EVIL CAT!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"Okay, that's beginning to annoy me a bit," Nick stated, remembering how future Yuki had just about flipped her lid when Bomamba had showed up a while back.

"I'd really like my sister to stop freaking out at you, Clawz, so what do you say we put an end to this?" Nick propositioned to the demonic cat.

"For once, I agree with a human," Clawz shot back. "I promise that your death will be swift."

"Don't bet on it," was Nick's simple reply.

More exploding mice appeared on the spinning platforms. This time, Nick had to destroy all of the mice on both of the platforms before Clawz was open.

Nick swiftly dodged the mice that were being thrown at him, delivering a fierce uppercut that knocked Clawz back a few feet.

_I've got to put an end to this. I really don't want to be doing this all day..._ Nick thought as he continued to dodge more exploding mice.

Just then, an extremely clever idea formed in Nick's head as he evaded still more exploding mice.

Taking his chance, Nick shot upwards, striking the spinning platforms so hard that all of the lit mice fell off. Nick zipped back and forth, easily catching them all in his hands.

Clawz looked a little confused at this. "What are you up to, boy?"

Nick kept waiting as the fuses on the mice got ever shorter.

"NICK-KUN!!! GET OUT OF THERE BEFORE THOSE THINGS EXPLODE!!!" Yuki exclaimed.

Just as the mice were about to explode, Nick shouted "Here's your delivery, freak!!" and tossed the mice for Clawz. The demonic cat could only scream in terror as his own weapons exploded around him, quite literally tearing him to shreds in the blast.

When the explosion settled down, Yuki looked up. "Is he gone?" she asked.

"Blown to bits by his own mice," Nick replied. "Just goes to show you that if you play with exploding mice, you're going to get blasted."

Yuki breathed a sigh of relief. "Now I see why future me was so afraid of Bomamba."

_Good. You are progressing very well. Only two more remain before you can face me._

"Face you?" Nick repeated. "Wait. Are you Tabuu?!"

_Soon enough, boy. Soon enough._

With that, Tabuu's voice disappeared and another red door materialized in front of them.

"This just keeps getting weirder and weirder, doesn't it?" Yuki asked as they entered the next door.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

The next stop was what appeared to be a park that stood near the lake.

"Wait a minute... isn't this..." Yuki wondered.

"It is, Yuki-chan! This is where I took Momoko on our first date!" Nick exclaimed. "I never forgot that day..."

"That was the day you confessed to her, right?" Yuki asked.

"_It's beautiful here, isn't it, Nick?" Momoko asked as the two took a walk through the park that had just opened up by the beach._

"_Yeah," Nick replied. "I'm just glad it's not going to rain. That stupid weatherman always gets me worried!!"_

"_Just proves that you can't trust weathermen," Momoko responded with a giggle._

_For a few hours, Nick and Momoko did everything they could think of: walks by the beach, stopping for dinner, even going to see the concert that had been advertised there._

_Around ten, Nick and Momoko were sitting together under a shady tree._

"_That was so much fun, Nick," Momoko stated. "You sure know how to treat a lady."_

"_Yuki-chan gave me a few suggestions about what we could do tonight," Nick admitted. "I've never really been on a date before, so I didn't really know what to expect..."_

"_You did a great job, Nick," Momoko replied. "Don't worry about it."_

_Nick was still lost in thought. 'Should I tell her? It's only the first date. I don't want her to think I'm an idiot... But I don't know how much longer I can hold out here...'_

_Momoko suddenly noticed what Nick was thinking. She could tell by his expression. To tell the truth, she had been in love with him for a long time, ever since she had moved here from America._

'_You know what? To hell with it. I'm just gonna say it.' "Momoko?"_

"_Yes, Nick?"_

"_I... there's something I've been meaning to tell you. I don't want you thinking I'm stupid for saying this on the first date, but I can't hold it in any longer."_

_Nick was about to say something when he felt Momoko's finger on his lips._

"_Don't say it, Nick. I love you, too."_

_And they shared their first kiss under that shady tree._

"You were lucky your dad didn't kill you because you got home so late..." Yuki giggled.

"I kept telling you, I only got home late because something sealed our magic and trapped us in Subspace!!" Nick responded.

"I'm just kidding, Nick-kun," Yuki giggled. "Do you see the door anywhere?"

Nick took a look around, searching for the red door that would take them further in the Great Maze, and bring them one step closer to Tabuu.

"Wow, I didn't know there were so many trees in this park," Yuki stated out of curiosity.

"There used to be more, but someone stupid decided to try and cut them down to make an example of the creationists," Nick explained.

"Weren't you the one that stopped them from cutting the trees down?" Yuki asked.

"Used up quite a few of my magic spheres that day, but I managed to stop those little demons. I don't know WHAT Majoruka was thinking, but Majorika and Majonomi DEFINITELY didn't need that kind of publicity," Nick explained.

Yuki had to giggle again. Suddenly, the familiar darkness filled the area, and when they could see again, Nick and Yuki found themselves in a circular arena with a wall of water that reached up to the top of the room. On the outside of the water wall were numerous, immobile red fish. On the inside, swimming around, was a gigantic blue fish.

"What the heck?" Yuki exclaimed.

_Gulpo is your next opponent. Do not think you will be able to defeat him as easily as you did Clawz._

"There's Tabuu's voice again..." Yuki noted.

Nick didn't hear this, as he was busy trying to find a way to attack the massive fish.

"I wonder... could I use those red fish?" Nick asked himself, hopping into one of the red fish's mouths, hoping he could acquire something to use against Gulpo.

Instead, he found himself fired out of the fish and straight through to the other side of the water wall.

"Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed, running over to her older brother.

"Okay... I did NOT expect that," Nick admitted. "Looks like we have to use those fish to fire us at Gulpo if we're going to fry this fish."

Yuki nodded, searching for a red fish that was near Gulpo.

"ARGH!! This thing won't stay still!!" Yuki exclaimed, tossing her Jewelry Poron in frustration. Amazingly, the spinning wand hit Gulpo and stunned it, causing it to drop to the floor.

This gave Nick the opportunity to hop into a red fish and charge for Gulpo, slamming it straight in the face.

When Nick was back on his feet, he noticed that Gulpo was bruised a bit, no doubt left from Nick's attack.

"Okay, this is working!!" Nick exclaimed. "We just have to keep this up..."

After a few tries, Nick and Yuki managed to get in a few solid hits on Gulpo, the last of which knocked him out of the water wall where he flopped helplessly.

"All right, time to end this!" Nick exclaimed, drawing his Jewelry Poron and ripping forward like greased lightning, striking Gulpo right in the head. The giant fish flopped around a few times before evaporating.

"Okay, is it me, or are these guys becoming way too easy?" Nick noted.

"These ARE the Guardians of Tabuu's lair, Nick-kun," Yuki responded. "No one's ever really gotten here before us."

"Good point."

At that, another red door appeared.

"Just one more Guardian to take care of. Let's go," Nick stated, heading into the door with his sister not too far behind.

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Okay, where are we now?" Nick asked as he looked around the room they had entered. "It looks like some fancy castle..."

Yuki perked up immediately. "Wait a minute Nick-kun.... This is the Mahoutsukai Castle! Saiki-kun had escorted me around here once... After I had somehow ended up here."

Her older brother made a "huh" sound as the two continued walking through the halls. Yuki suddenly blushed.

"You know Nick-kun... It was also the day he..."

Earning her brother's confused glance, she quickly shook her head. "That is... He, er... stole my first kiss."

"O-Oh..." Nick uttered, blushing himself. "And just why do you decide to tell me that NOW, Yuki-chan?"

"Because I was sure you'd do something to Saiki-kun... I mean... You won't when we get back right?" Yuki then laughed a bit, fiddling with her fingers. "Sorry I kept that teensy tiny bit of information... But even I deserve to have a secret or two..."

She sighed, looking ahead.

"But I wonder... Why Tabuu would chose a place like this... I mean.."

"_You just love getting separated from your brother, don't you?" Saiki asked with a laugh as he took Yuki's hand, leading her through the wide halls of where he lived._

"_N-No..." she answered, blushing deeply. "Please don't let go."_

"_Relax, that's the last thing on my mind, Yuki-chan."_

_Giving her a boyish grin, he continued. "I'm just surprised someone can get lost that much. The Mahoutsukai isn't very big you know, not like the Majokai.."_

"_Nick-kun's probably worried sick," Yuki mumbled, looking down. Saiki nodded._

"_And I'm almost positive he doesn't trust me being alone with you."_

_The black witch nodded as well. "Say, Saiki-kun? The thing about Nick-kun..." She flushed a deep red. "I think he's softened up... And..."_

"_Oh really?"_

"_Y-Yes... And... The thing is, that I told him that I er..."_

_The younger prince chuckled, patting her head before bending down and pecking the corner of her lips. "Let's just continue."_

_Yuki gulped, and squeezed his hand._

"_W-Wait a minute, Saiki-kun! Y-You... You missed."_

"_Oh did I?" Without warning, he pressed his lips firmly against her own._

_Her eyes widened, and eventually closed as she returned the kiss in that single surreal moment._

'_Saiki-kun...'_

Yuki blushed like crazy as she felt her cheeks at _that_ memory. Her older brother raised an eyebrow before Yuki quickly shook her head.

"Just... Just a flashback, that's all!!"

She sighed.

_Oh Saiki-kun... I wonder how he's doing back in my own time... Is he thinking about me? I really want to see him..._

Suddenly she caught on to something. _Wait a minute..._

"SAIKI-KUN!!!"

Taking no time whatsoever, she quickly sped off.

"Y-Yuki-chan! Wait up!" Nick called out, surprised. _What's with her? I never see her this excited unless... No way!_

"Saiki-kun!" she yelled again, blushing darkly. "Saiki-kun!"

_Is he really here? Is he?!_

Taking her chances, the black witch threw her arms around him, burying her face in his back.

"S-Saiki-kun..."

"Y-Yuki-chan?" a startled voice answered as Yuki felt her heart drop at the voice. _Oh..._

"Satoshi-kun, it's you." she murmured, looking into Satoshi's wide, confused brown eyes. "Sorry, I got confused..."

Satoshi flushed red as Yuki backed away, clutching her hands together as she looked at the floor with a melancholy expression.

"Yuki-chan..."

"Satoshi-kun?"

"Oh, Nick..." he uttered, looking at his future uncle's confused face. "Hello."

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be with your mom?" Nick asked, folding his arms. Satoshi gave him a slight nod before glancing off somewhere.

"I just... ended up here somehow."

"_Liar," _Mana's voice echoed through his head as he muttered a quick 'Shut up'.

"Satoshi-kun, it's dangerous!" Yuki scolded, forgetting her disappointment. "You need to go back to future me, QUICK!"

Satoshi shrugged. "As if I know how to, Yuki-chan."

"Urgh..." the black witch groaned before tensing up, and sighing.

"Hey... I know you're out there. Please come on out."

A wicked, but feminine chuckle could be heard.

"_So... You noticed already."_

"Satoshi-kun, get back," Nick instructed before shifting into a battle stance. Satoshi nodded, and backed up a little.

The chuckle turned into annoying laughter as Yuki picked at her ear.

"Look miss, I'm NOT in a good mood at the moment... COME OUT ALREADY YOU COWARD!!"

_Aah... The final of our guardians... Let's see the two brats fend off Puffy._

"Puffy?" Nick repeated, a bit confused as the answer came bouncing out, quite literally.

"_OH_."

"She... looks like a balloon..." Satoshi stated, unable to come up with anything else to say.

_You have to be kidding..._ he thought, making a face. _Surely Tabuu has something better than that!!_

"It's like Donbalon all over again." Nick muttered, sighing a bit. "The only difference is that she's so... _pink_!!"

"So, how do we get her out of here?" Yuki asked, looking around. She then realized something.

_Wait a minute..._

"I sure hope Saiki-kun forgives me for this..." the black witch mumbled before jumping up and spin-kicking Puffy through a wall, her landing with a loud 'Ooph!'.

"That the best you got, black witch?" she taunted, laughing. "Attacks like that won't hurt me!"

"Who said I was trying to hurt you?"

Nick perked up. _Right... This is the same thing I tried against Donbalon! Great minds must think alike!_

"Allow _me_, Yuki-chan," he stated with a grin as he batted Puffy through the next wall. Yuki nodded as she hopped forward.

"O-KAY!" she exclaimed before shoving Puffy through the final wall. "I'm gonna end this right here and now!"

Suddenly, Puffy smirked. "Don't think I'll go down so easily, little one."

"Huh?"

Just then, Yuki felt Puffy's unbelievably hard rubber-like body come in contact with her own body, hard enough to knock her down and injure her.

"Yuki-chan!!" Nick called out, rushing over to his sister. Satoshi made a "huh" sound.

_Maybe I had underestimated her..._

Yuki got up, rubbing her head. "Well... That was harder than I thought possible." Nick huffed, before turning back to Puffy.

"Alright then... Two can play that game..."

Jumping up, Nick kicked Puffy into the final wall, making her cry out in pain.

"Okay Yuki-chan, let's end this for real!!"

Yuki nodded. "Right!"

Satoshi, on the other hand, sighed. _Yeah, right..._

The black witch held out her hands. "Take this, Puffy!!"

"_Pururunu pikapikan chanchii!"_

Her hands omitted a snow-white aura as she shot a beam at Puffy.

"_Purification!!"_

In a short time, Puffy began glowing with a bright light and vanished, letting Yuki put down her hands and sigh.

"Okay, that was waaaaayyy too easy."

Nick sighed himself. "What did I tell you?"

Satoshi just groaned. "Stupid, stupid..." Yuki looked confused at this.

"Something wrong, Satoshi-kun?"

"No..."

"_You do know what could happen right?"_ Mana's voice came from behind. _"She'll cry, Satoshi! Do you __**want**__ to hurt okaa-chan?"_

The boy growled. _Stay OUT of this..._ he thought quietly, clenching his fists. _G-Go away, already.._

"_You're not going to listen to me, are you?"_ Mana asked, sighing. _"It looks like I'll need SOMETHING to get your attention..."_

Spotting Yuki, she smiled. "That could work."

Yuki suddenly felt cold, and shivered. "N-Nick-kun... All outta nowhere it's freezing." Nick perked up as the sight of a ghostly shroud around his sister.

_Wait a minute... is that...?!_

"Please forgive me, okaa-chan," Mana whispered in her mother's ear before snapping her fingers.

Yuki's eyes glowed, and she fell unconscious, Mana disappearing. Both Satoshi and Nick looked surprised at this.

"YUKI-CHAN!!"

Nick quickly scooped up her in his arms. "Yuki-chan..? Yuki-chan, speak to me!"

The black witch's eyes fluttered open as she looked into Nick's eyes as well. "N-Nick... It worked..."

"What worked, Yuki-chan?" he asked, as she got up.

Grinning, she answered.

"The fact that I'm not Yuki."

"W-What?!"

She looked at Satoshi, who was still confused, and then back at Nick.

"I'll give her back... If you can catch me!"

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

With that, the fake Yuki disappeared.

"What the heck?" Nick exclaimed. "What just happened?!"

_Darn it, Mana-chan... what have you done? _Satoshi thought. _Nick's going to kill you for this..._

Nick frantically looked around for his sister. "YUKI-CHAN!!!"

_Damn it... this isn't good. Tabuu could strike at any moment, and my sister's lost somewhere... this is just perfect,_ Nick thought.

"Satoshi-kun, I'm going to look for Yuki-chan. You STAY PUT, okay?" Nick exclaimed. Satoshi nodded, and with that, Nick was off.

_This day just keeps getting worse..._ Satoshi thought.

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"YUKI-CHAN!!!" Nick called out again. No such luck.

"Why did this have to happen to her NOW of all freaking times?!" Nick exclaimed. All of a sudden, the area around him turned completely black.

"NOW what?!" Nick exclaimed, becoming quite frustrated. When he could see again, he found himself floating in a bright purple abyss, similar to the one he'd seen in Subspace. There was a throne made of massive bones from god-knows-what sitting at the center of the arena, and there, at one side of the arena...

...was Tabuu.

"Okay, so you finally decided to show yourself, huh?" Nick taunted, facing down Tabuu.

"You have done well to get this far, young warrior," Tabuu stated, flapping his luminescent wings a few times. "You are much stronger than I ever would have expected of you. However, you will not be going any further."

"Not unless I kick your butt into next month!!" Nick shot back. "I'm really not in the mood for these games, so how about we just end this?!"

"Exactly what I was thinking," Tabuu replied, flapping his wings and retreating to the far corner of the arena.

Nick didn't waste any time in flying towards Tabuu, soaring as fast as he could. About four seconds after Nick began his flight, however, the sky around him suddenly became a bright red, and Tabuu began throwing massive meteors at the green witch apprentice.

"Oh, man! As if I don't have ENOUGH problems to deal with right now!!" Nick exclaimed, drawing his Jewelry Poron and slashing through the meteors that he could while flying up and down to avoid the rest of them. Nick was able to deflect one of the meteors towards Tabuu, only for it to be destroyed by a barrier that Tabuu had set up.

"Foolish boy," Tabuu taunted. "You know not of what you deal with."

Still unfazed, Nick continued to fly forward until he'd reached the barrier, pushing on it with all of his might.

The problem? Nick couldn't seem to get through the barrier, no matter what he tried.

"Damn it!! Why won't this barrier go down?!" Nick exclaimed.

"_Let me help!!"_

It was then that Nick saw someone slashing at the barrier with something. He couldn't see the person clearly, as they moved too fast for Nick to get a lock on. He turned back, and suddenly, the barrier was gone!

Taking his chance, Nick slashed at Tabuu with his wand, causing one of his wings to shatter. Tabuu backed off before eventually disappearing and reforming at the other side of the arena. Nick skidded to a stop and charged in the opposite direction.

"This world is my creation," Tabuu stated.

After a bit of flying, Nick noticed that the sky around him had turned a dark yellow, and that numerous silhouettes of Tabuu had formed in the pathway, with randomly placed asteroids completing the package.

"Oh, like that's going to work?" Nick stated, staying on the lower part of the arena and soaring forward like greased lightning, cutting through any of the silhouettes he came across.

Once again, he came across the barrier, pushing with all his might, This time, he was able to get through without any assistance, slashing at Tabuu as he neared. This caused Tabuu's other wing to shatter as well.

"I will banish you," Tabuu threatened as he disappeared, once more reforming back where the battle had begun. Once again, Nick skidded to a stop and dashed back in the direction he'd came from.

This time, as Nick approached, the sky turned blue, and Tabuu began throwing hourglass-shaped tornadoes towards him.

"Wait a minute. This reminds me of something," Nick noted. "If I remember correctly, I probably have to head through the center of those things..."

Deciding to test his theory, Nick charged forward, dashing through the center of the tornadoes, to discover that he had come out unscathed.

"Theory tested and proven," Nick stated, still soaring forwards at unbelievable speeds, zipping through the center of the tornadoes that were being thrown at him.

Once more, Nick found a barrier in his way, and once more, he pushed on it with all of his might. This one wouldn't seem to give in, though.

"Come on, why won't you break?!" Nick exclaimed, only to hear someone else's grunting as well. He looked downwards and noticed Satoshi also pushing at the barrier.

"Satoshi-kun!! Didn't I tell you to stay put in Puffy's lair?!" Nick exclaimed.

"And miss a fight like this? No way!" Satoshi responded. "Besides, you may need some help finding Yuki-chan. My senses aren't as keen as my _otou-san's _were, but I can still pick things up from pretty far away."

"Just help me break this barrier first!" Nick exclaimed. Satoshi nodded, and together, the two of them pushed on the barrier as hard as they could, and eventually, it went down, allowing Nick and Satoshi to get closer to Tabuu.

"IT'S OVER, TABUU!!!" Nick exclaimed, slashing at Tabuu one more time. This strike caused Tabuu's glowing body to shatter much like his wings had earlier. Once Tabuu has disappeared completely, both Nick and Satoshi had found themselves back in the part of the Great Maze that represented Yuki and Saiki's first kiss.

"I... I can't believe it!!! WE ACTUALLY DID IT!!!" Satoshi exclaimed.

"I don't think it's over yet, Satoshi-kun," Nick replied, catching Satoshi's attention. "For someone who's supposed to be a god of sorts, that was far easier than I thought..."

_Indeed, boy,_ Tabuu's voice rang out. _What you just destroyed was nothing more than a mere puppet. The real me will not be so easy to defeat. Go recover your younger sibling and meet me at the very center of the Great Maze, and we shall settle things for real. I will be waiting._

"See?" Nick stated. "It's NEVER over that quickly. We just have to find Yuki-chan first, and then we can settle this once and for all."

"But where could she be?" Satoshi wondered, just noticing a red door that had appeared.

When the door opened, they found themselves back at the hospital where Yuki had been born.

"What the...? How'd we end up back here?" Nick wondered.

Suddenly, Nick tensed up, noticing something odd in the air around him. He could also hear a giggle that sounded _very_ familiar to him. Raising his hands into the air, they began glowing with a bright green light.

"_Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore!! Why don't you show yourself?"_

A bright flash filled the room, and when it cleared, Nick and Satoshi could see Mana floating there with an unconscious Yuki in her arms.

"Just as I thought," Nick stated, crossing his arms. "Mana-chan, you've got some explaining to do."

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

Mana sighed, placing her future mother on the nearby bed before turning to her uncle and older brother.

"_Well... You got me! Way to go!"_ she exclaimed cheerfully, clapping her hands.

"Mana-chan, stop acting like it's a game!! What did you do to Yuki-chan?!" Nick demanded, beyond joking.

His future niece looked hurt for a few minutes before sighing again.

"_Don't worry. I would never hurt okaa-chan... She's just asleep. All us spirits can do to the living is talk to them, take control of them, go into their dreams, or my favorite, __**kanashibari**__. We could never harm anyone without paying an extreme price." _Mana cracked a smile.

"_But HONESTLY... I had no idea jii-chan and onii-chan would find me so soon!!"_

"So you _are_ my sister..." Satoshi noted, quietly.

Nick sighed. "I know all that... I just wanna know _why_, Mana-chan. _Why_ you did it." Mana blushed darkly.

"_Because... I wanted to get onii-chan's attention?"_

Satoshi perked up, groaning. "But you HAD to bring Nick and Yuki-chan into this, didn't you?"

"_Well it was the only thing I could think of, Satoshi-kun! And Nick, DON'T start scolding me again! I already know otou-chan's probably going to turn me into a ghost for what I did... Since I'm already dead and everything."_

Nick raised an eyebrow. "A ghost? There's a difference?"

Mana huffed. _"Remember when I nearly got you killed, Nick-jii-chan?"_

Her uncle blushed. "How could I forget? Why'd you do that anyway? That... 'Spiritual Drain'?"

"_Because I was running low on life energy... I had died at too early of an age... And as a result, I could visit the Living World whenever I wanted... But that cost me dearly. If I lose all my life energy in this world... I'll be brought back..."_

"So, you'll come back to life?" Satoshi asked, not quite getting it.

Mana stomped her foot. _"You don't understand!! I'll become a GHOST!! If I only had a body to return to... Then this WOULDN'T happen, okay?! Ghosts may have strong energy themselves... But they can't be seen by humans OR other spirits... Basically, life as a ghost sucks!"_

She pointed at Nick. _"That's why I needed life energy from you... Even a little bit. But life energy's not like magic... It's life force. If I had taken too much, you would of died for sure.... And neither otou-chan OR Momoko-jou-chan would like that..."_

She sighed. _"Still... It made you weaker than I thought... But it's because Nick-jii-chan's life force is stronger than average... And it gave me a burst of energy like I never felt before!"_

Nick made a "huh" sound. "But I recovered quickly... Do I gain life force energy somehow or whatever?" Mana shrugged, then noticed the lucky charm around Nick's neck.

"_Wait a minute..."_

"What?"

"_Jii-chan... Where did you get that?"_ she asked, a bit confused.

"Mori-chan gave it to me.... Why?" Nick wondered, curious.

"_Oh nothing, it just looked really cute is all..."_ Mana smiled. _"I liked it."_

Nick shook his head before sighing. "We're getting off-topic. Mana-chan, WHY did you need to get Satoshi-kun's attention?"

Satoshi gulped, and flustered. Mana, on the other hand, pursued her lips.

"_That's... something you should be asking onii-chan himself, not me."_

The green witch apprentice looked at Satoshi, a bit confused.

"Satoshi-kun...?"

"Nick, that's..." The boy blushed, and sighed heavily. "...no business of yours."

"_Oh, give it a break!!"_ Mana shot back, her usual cheerfulness put aside. _"You might as well tell him; after all, better to hear it from her beloved older brother than someone who looks like otou-chan!!"_

"What are you talking about, Mana-chan?" Nick asked, now completely lost on where this was going.

"_I've been __**TRYING**__ so hard! I WANT you to be happy, onii-chan! But I can only hold my tongue for so long..."_ the spirit hissed, ignoring her uncle. _"How can you be so SELFLESS?!"_

"_I_? I'm the selfless one?" Satoshi huffed. "Excuse me, _Mana_... But didn't you just use _Yuki-chan's_ body for your own needs?"

"_Oh yes, cause she apparently means _**so**_ much to you."_ his sister spat, with heavy sarcasm. _"If that's the cause, then why not tell?! What do you have to lose?! Oh yes, I remember..."_

"SHUT IT, Mana-chan," her brother stated, firmly.

Mana froze and flushed red, looking down sadly at her transparent feet with loathing.

"_You're... You're going to get away with this... Aren't you? Don't you always? Not even a __**hint**__ of regret on your part? Really, dear brother? Really?"_

Satoshi's eyes widened. _Mana-chan..._

"What kind of person do you think I am?" he asked, quietly. "As if I had a choice... You honestly believe I'm all for it?"

"_Of course not..."_ Mana choked, shy tears trickling down her cheek that caught Nick by surprise. He'd never seen her cry before.

"I'm in love with my own mother..." Satoshi murmured, disgusted. "What's wrong with me?"

"_S-Satoshi...o-onii-chan..."_

"Mana-chan..." he whispered. "I..."

"_I won't be able to convince you... Will I?"_

_Oh, Mana-chan..._ Satoshi thought, quietly.

"Sorry," he mumbled without meaning it. "I'm sorry, sis. Nick, you too."

"_Jii-chan, I'm sorry you had to listen to all that..."_ Mana started. _"I... Er.... Sorry."_

Nick opened his mouth to ask but decided against it. "No worries... Mana-chan."

Sighing, Mana walked up to him and whished her hand around Nick, only for it to go right through him.

"_You didn't feel that... Did you?"_

"No..." he responded, a little surprised.

Mana sighed, smiling sadly.

"_Nick... I think that's what's worst... about being a spirit."_

"Mana-chan..." Satoshi started, blushing a bit. "W-What about...?"

"_Mmm_..."

"Yuki-chan!!" Nick exclaimed, rushing to his sister's side. "Yuki-chan, are you...?"

"_Saiki-kun_..."

"Huh?" Nick perked up as Yuki's eyes fluttered open, with her looking rather confused.

"N-Nick....kun?" She started, getting up. "What happened?"

"_I'm afraid that's my fault..."_ Mana explained before waving her hand in front of Yuki's eyes.

"Eh?" Yuki blinked twice. "And you are...?"

Mana shot a peace sign. _"Shidoosha Mana, at your service. I'm your dead daughter."_

"You're so... cute." Yuki stated, blushing like crazy. "M-Mana-chan..."

Mana blushed herself before glancing at Satoshi. _"Please make the right choice,"_ she whispered. _"I know you can."_

_But __**how**__..._ he thought silently. _How can I...?_

"_No need to worry... Now, goodbye."_ She winked. _"Don't break okaa-chan's heart."_

"_M-Mana-chan_...!!!"

Nick and Yuki perked up. "Satoshi-kun...?" Yuki questioned. "Where'd Mana-chan go?"

Satoshi sighed heavily. "She just disappeared... I guess." He clenched his fists.

_They don't need to know... Not yet at least._

"Come, Tabuu awaits."

"Nick-kun, what happened to Satoshi-kun?" Yuki wondered, concerned. "He's acting so tense all of a sudden..."

"I don't know..." he replied, Satoshi's talk with Mana replaying in his mind. "I just don't know, Yuki-chan... But he's right."

_I wonder..._ Nick pondered. _What was that protest all about? I've never seen Mana-chan so stressed over something... Was whatever Satoshi-kun did that bad?_

"_If that's the cause, then why not tell?! What do you have to lose?! Oh yes, I remember..."_

_What was she going to say after that?_ he wondered. _And Satoshi-kun..._

"_As if I had a choice... You honestly believe I'm all for it?"_

_What did he mean by as if he had a choice...? Either way..._

Nick gulped, tightening his own fists.

_Either way... I have a real bad feeling about this..._

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

"So, Nick-kun... what's been going on while I've been out of it?" Yuki asked.

"Well, Satoshi-kun and I fought Tabuu," Nick explained, "but that wasn't the real Tabuu, just a puppet. He told me to find you and then head to the center of the Great Maze so we can settle this once and for all."

"Where do you think that is?" Yuki asked.

"I think I can take care of that," Nick stated, bringing out his Jewelry Poron.

"_Asobu soba de sakiyaki sore!! Let's have a map of the Great Maze!!"_

Responding to his command, light particles began to concentrate around each other until they formed a makeshift map of the Great Maze.

"Wow!" Yuki exclaimed. "We've actually explored all of those places?"

"I guess we did," Nick responded. "And I don't need three guesses to figure out what that glowing dot is there."

"That's where Tabuu's waiting, right?" Yuki asked. Nick simply nodded.

"All right, Satoshi-kun, I want you to STAY PUT this time, okay?" Nick stated with quite a bit of firmness. "We'll come back and pick you up when this is over."

Satoshi could only nod.

With that, both Nick and Yuki headed into a nearby door.

"Good luck, you two."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"They... they actually took care of the Guardians," future Yuki noted.

"Now only Tabuu remains..." Akemi responded. "I just hope they'll be all right..."

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The final area was nothing more than a purple glass platform (though it looked very cool) that rested in a massive black abyss.

"Ooh, I would not want to fall down from here," Yuki noted.

"All right, Tabuu, SHOW YOURSELF!!!" Nick exclaimed, not in the mood for waiting around.

It seemed that Tabuu wouldn't show up. This got Nick angry.

"NICK-KUN!!! LOOK OUT!!!"

Turning around at his sister's proclamation, Nick just barely avoided a whip attack that surely would have finished him had he not performed a sidestep.

"Okay, now THAT was low even for you, Tabuu," Nick noted.

Tabuu said nothing, just floating there for a few seconds.

"Oh, so that's how you're going to play, huh?" Nick exclaimed, charging for Tabuu, only to have him warp away at the last second.

Shifting his senses around, Nick began searching for Tabuu.

"Where are you?" Nick stated to nobody in particular.

It was just then that Nick noticed Tabuu charging forward with a neon blade in his hands. Nick brought up his own wand to block the attack.

"Really, is that the best you've got, Tabuu?" Nick challenged.

"Hmph. You apparently do not understand. In this realm, I am at the height of my power," Tabuu stated. "Here, you can not possibly hope to win."

"Oh, yeah?" Yuki shot back. "We'll see about that!! _Watashi... makenai!!_"

"Truer words have never been spoken, Yuki-chan," Nick replied before turning back to face Tabuu...

...only to see that he had disappeared again.

"All right, no more games!!" Nick exclaimed, just waiting for Tabuu to make his move.

Once the neon god reappeared, he turned into a sort of spear head and charged forwards.

"Got you!! SPEED BREAK!!!"

Nick floated into the air and charged towards Tabuu at superluminal speeds. The two attacks met, both Nick and Tabuu trying to push the other back.

In the end, Nick's Speed Break won, the orange aura surrounding him knocking Tabuu a few yards back. Nick also noticed that a bit of Tabuu's shoulder had cracked where Nick had struck him.

"I will admit this, young warrior. You are the first to ever wound me in the slightest," Tabuu stated. "But you will no longer be that lucky."

"Why don't you just shut your mouth and bring it on?!" Nick shot back.

"Nick-kun, you don't really need to threaten him..." Yuki noted, just barely dodging a giant sawblade that was just thrown at her.

"Foolish brats. You are only delaying the inevitable," Tabuu taunted, firing a storm of tiny energy bullets for the two siblings. Nick put up a _santen kesshun _shield to block the attack.

Nick was about to make a witty response when Tabuu finished up his attack with a powerful burst of orange energy that broke the shield and sent Nick flying a few yards back.

"Nick-kun!!" Yuki exclaimed.

"It's all right, Yuki-chan. I've been hit by worse," Nick replied, getting back to his feet. "That's the first time the _santen kesshun's_ ever broken on me, though..."

"Now do you see that it is hopeless?" Tabuu asked.

"Not a chance, buddy!!" Nick shot back. "Until the day I die, I'm NEVER going to back down on the promise that I made to Yuki-chan!!"

"Hmm... I see."

Tabuu then disappeared and reformed in the foreground of the arena, though Nick and Yuki didn't notice this.

"Where is he?" Yuki wondered.

Taking advantage of this moment of distraction, Tabuu spread his wings and thrust his arms towards Yuki, sending out three red rings of energy that soared towards the unsuspecting black witch apprentice.

Yuki didn't notice the attack that was coming until it was too late.

"YUKI-CHAN, INCOMING!!!" Nick exclaimed, scrambling forward and shoving his little sister away from the red energy rings, only to take the hit himself.

Yuki went into a roll, coming out with minimal damage.

"Jeez, Nick-kun, you don't have to shove me... so... hard..." Yuki's statement stopped on a dime when she saw the battered and bruised body of her brother.

"N-Nick-kun?"

Yuki rushed up to Nick and shook him, only to discover that he wasn't responding.

"Nick-kun?!" Yuki asked again. No response. Tears began forming in her eyes.

Tabuu laughed evilly.

"NICK-KUN!!!!!"

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"P-Please..." the black witch begged, her hands trembling on Nick's shoulders. "Please... wake up! WAKE UP!!"

Yuki shook her head. _No... He... He CAN'T be gone again! No... No..._

"Wake up... _onii-chan_..." she whispered, shaking him again. "You can't be... you wouldn't be."

"Hmph. That's exactly what you said when your beloved was done away with."

Yuki perked up, chewing on her lip.

"Y-You killed him..."

"This time, for good."

"You killed Saiki-kun, too..." she continued quietly, looking at him with blank, expressionless eyes. Tabuu smirked.

Yuki clenched her fists as the tears started up again. "Who am I supposed to believe in now?! Nick-kun... Saiki-kun... Momo-chan... They're all gone because of you! A-And not just them... Mana-chan!"

She huffed. "How could you kill her when she was just a baby?!"

"Things happen, kid. Besides... If I had let her live... Who knew how much power she would have..."

"THAT'S NO DAMN EXCUSE!!!" Yuki shouted, the tears now falling freely. "N-No... excuse..."

She covered her mouth, coughing.

"Save your breath, kid," Tabuu instructed. "If I'm going to kill you, you might as well look worth killing."

"D-Darn you... No... There's no way... I'll let Nick-kun's sacrifice be in vain!!"

She started glowing a dark aura. "Saiki-kun... Nick-kun... They were more special to me than anyone!! H-How... could I ever forget...? I.. I love them so much!!"

Yuki clenched her fists. "No way... Will I let you do away with me that easily. Tabuu... I'm not going to give up, not now, not ever!"

"Hmph. Your funeral."

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"Nick-kun?"

Future Yuki looked around for her brother. "Please don't tell me... He can't be... dead, _again_ right?" She tightened her fists. "Please... no..."

"_Okaa-san_..."

"Satoshi-kun!" she called, completely relieved. Running over, she quickly threw her arms around him. "Thank god... You're okay..."

Satoshi blushed and sighed. "But Nick and Yuki-chan are facing him right now..."

"True, true. But I'm sure little me will pull through..." his mother started, ruffling his hair. "Satoshi-kun... I was so worried... T-That... That something happened to you."

She kissed his forehead, placing a hand on his cheek. "A mother shouldn't worry this much... You're all I have left, Satoshi-kun."

Satoshi's eyes widened and he shook his head. "You shouldn't say something like that... Not when... Not when.."

His volume got below a whisper. "Not when Master Tabuu has done away with Nick... And is about to do the same to Yuki-chan..."

Future Yuki's smile vanished.

"What did you just call Tabuu?"

Satoshi realized his mistake and covered his mouth in shock.

"O-Oh... Oh _no_..."

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"_For one so brave for the sake of love..."_

Yuki glowed as her purifier uniform materialized on her body, and her hair tied itself into a ponytail.

"_The Black Purifier of Courage, at your service!!"_

"Hai, ikuzo!" she exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air.

"Very well."

Yuki's eyes widened as Tabuu formed a sharp weapon and charged. She quickly jumped in the air and dodged, doing a few graceful flips before landing back on the ground.

"Not too shabby... Tabuu," she admitted. "But I certainly am not going down that easily!"

She closed her eyes for a few minutes to focus on Tabuu's next position and struck him in a super-fast spinning kick.

"Hmph. Not too bad yourself."

Yuki huffed. "There's more to it."

She struck her favorite battle stance. "So... As Nick-kun used to say..."

"Let's go for it!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"S-Satoshi-kun..."

Satoshi backed away, breathing deeply. "M..._Mom_..."

"This is a joke, right? I mean... You couldn't... You _wouldn't_... would you?" his mother asked in disbelief. "I-I mean... Am I so terrible that..."

"THAT'S NOT IT, MOM!!"

Future Yuki perked up. "Satoshi..."

Satoshi blushed heavily, fighting off tears. "Okaa-san... It has absolutely _nothing_ to do with you... Nothing at all... I'm the one in fault here."

"Is this because Saiki-kun...?"

"No! You don't understand... I... I didn't know what I was doing when..."

"So why didn't you say anything?" she asked, standing up and folding her arms.

"I didn't want you to get hurt..." he stammered. "Y-You... You mean so much to me..."

"This is probably the worst discovery I could of made..." future Yuki sighed. "Saiki-kun... I thought I could promise myself... that Satoshi..."

Satoshi bit his lip and turned away. "I'm... I'm so sorry, okaa-chan."

"Satoshi-kun!" she called out. "Hey... Wait just a moment...!!"

Satoshi looked at his dear mother for a few minutes with hesitation before shaking his head and disappeared.

"I'm so sorry..." he repeated one last time before he vanished.

"_SATOSHI-KUN_!!!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Yuki quickly did a few cartwheels out of the aim of Tabuu's lasers.

"Come on! Is that all you got?!" she taunted, just as she felt something grab her and take on a strong grip.

"Urggh... Apparently not!" the black witch grumbled, breaking free and dusting herself off. "Sheesh..."

_I can't let Nick down..._

She huffed and glowed with an aura of dark energy as well as light. _If I have to use my divine power... Then so be it... I can't let him or Saiki-kun down!!_

Tabuu seemed to perk at the sight of Yuki's angel wings taking form. "Looks like the brat finally decided to use her divine power..."

"_Watashi... makenai_!" Yuki shouted, pointing. "There's no way I'll lose to the likes of you!"

"So be it."

Taking her chances, the two of them vanished, each pushing the other back. As soon as Tabuu had let down his guard, Yuki quickly down a spinny punch, knocking him a few yards.

"Gotten stronger thanks to that power... Have you? Let's see you handle... THIS!!" With that, Tabuu had spread out his own wings, sending out the very same attack that had killed Nick.

Yuki tensed up, but quickly used her wings as shields to block as much damage as she could and braced herself.

As soon as the attack had hit, she took it, eventually spreading out her wings, showing she had appearingly taken little damage, much to Tabuu's dismay.

"...Impressive. No one's ever survived that before."

Yuki grinned and waved her finger. "First time for everything." She then winced.

_Still... It hit a lot harder than it appeared... But Tabuu doesn't know that, so that's in my favor for the time being. I have to end this...!!_

She held out her hands, which began glowing with her twilight energy. "There's no way you'll be able to get through this without a scratch Tabuu... As I heard, let's end this battle!!"

Tabuu took caution, however...

"_DON'T_, Yuki-chan."

Yuki's eyes widened in shock, and her hands dropped her sides.

"Sa... Satoshi-kun...?"

Indeed it was Satoshi standing there, between her and Tabuu, arms spread out wide in a protective stance. Yuki's brown eyes glittered in confusion for a few moments before going on the offensive.

"Satoshi-kun, I told you to STAY PUT! Get out of the way! I'm NOT going to let Tabuu live after what he did to Nick-kun...!!!"

"Then I won't move!" Satoshi shot back. "Even if you're Yuki-chan... I'm afraid I can't let you harm Master Tabuu...."

"Master?" his future mom repeated, a bit confused. "Satoshi-kun... _uso_..."

He looked down, a bit regretfully for a few minutes. "I-I'm so sorry... But you have to understand."

"Well done, my apprentice."

"Apprentice..." Yuki whispered, eyes as blank as ever. "Satoshi-kun... You're just going to betray me? How could you do this?!"

"Not very easily, I assure you..."

"Satoshi..." the black witch started softly before shaking her head. "E-Even if that's true... Even if.... I won't let Nick-kun and Saiki-kun down!! Satoshi-kun... Just... I don't want to hurt you..."

Her voice shook for a few minutes. "Saiki-kun wouldn't betray me... So, please... Satoshi-kun!!"

Satoshi opened his mouth to say something but froze, and lost his balance...

...Revealing that Tabuu had struck when his guard was down.

Yuki covered her mouth in a gasp, utterly horrified.

"SATOSHI-KUN!!!"

Rushing over to his aid, Yuki quickly lifted his head onto her lap, looking at Tabuu in disbelief before shaking his by the shoulders.

"Satoshi-kun... Satoshi-kun..."

Satoshi's eyes fluttered open, meeting Yuki's brown tear-stained ones. "Yuki-chan... Figures this would happen..."

"Satoshi-kun... Satoshi-kun, are you okay?! Please, answer me! Why... Why did you.."

"Like I said, I couldn't let you harm him." he stated, sighing, wiping a bit of blood from his cheek.

"D-Demo..."

"Yuki-chan, I'm sorry. He must of realized how weak I was..." Satoshi pursued his mouth before leaning forward and planting his lips on hers for a few seconds. "I-I... I actually like you too much to hurt you... I've always had a crush on you, Yuki-chan."

"Oh, Satoshi-kun..." she whispered, a tear sliding down her cheek. "You... You're all I have left..."

Satoshi winced, looking in obvious pain. "That's exactly what the future you... _okaa-san_ said. I..." He collapsed on her chest. "Tell her... I love her... I'm... sorry."

"Will do... Satoshi-kun?" She shook him a little. No response. Her eyes widened.

_No...._

"_SATOSHI-KUN_!!!"

Yuki breathed deeply, eyes once again filling with tears, as she placed him aside, gently ruffling his hair before getting up.

"Tabuu... I'm not surprised you hurt Nick-kun... But Satoshi-kun?!"

"As the boy said. I had planned from the very beginning to use him against you..." he smirked. "But this would be more fitting."

"I hate you so much..." she huffed, choked through tears.

"As if I care."

"_Okaa-chan..."_

Yuki perked up and looked over, a bit surprised.

"Mana-chan..."

Tabuu looked surprised at this. "What the?! Isn't she supposed to be..."

"_I am,"_ Mana answered coldly. _"And don't think I'll float idly by when you just hurt my brother..."_ She turned to Yuki and extended out her transparent hand.

"_Okaa-chan, take my hand. I'll lend you all my spiritual AND remaining life energy that Jii-chan gave me..."_

"But... what'll happen to you, Mana-chan?" Yuki asked, a bit confused.

Mana smiled brightly. _"My soul will be brought back and I'll become a ghost... But there's no reason for me not to... But I just wish I could of told otou-chan a few more things..."_

Yuki's eyes glittered. "Mana-chan... I..."

"_Just do it! This is the point of no return okaa--Yuki-chan... Yuki-chan. Please, I don't have any regrets... Just... make him pay, okay?"_

The black witch frowned before smiling and nodding, taking Mana's hand.

"I'll be sure to."

Mana grinned.

"_Good luck... mommy."_

(Written by **S.P.D. Gold Ranger**)

A couple seconds later, Yuki could feel Mana's energy being transferred to her.

"_Good luck. I'll be watching..."_ were Mana's last words before disappearing from the battlefield. Yuki's angel wings began glowing even brighter than before.

"Nick-kun... Saiki-kun... Mana-chan... Satoshi-kun... Momo-chan... You've taken enough of the people I love away from me, Tabuu!!" Yuki exclaimed, her aura pulsing like it never had before.

"I swear... I WILL KILL YOU."

"Hmph," Tabuu shot back. "I'd like to see you try."

Though, on the inside, Tabuu was actually scared.

_This power... why could I not sense it before? And why does she wait until NOW to pull it out?!_

Yuki's angel wings spread out, and she had a look of pure viciousness on her face.

"I will NEVER BACK DOWN!!!"

With that, Yuki thrust her hands forward and discharged a massive burst of twilight energy that forced Tabuu back a few yards.

_I must end this quickly,_ Tabuu thought. _If she releases her full power, even I won't stand a chance..._

Tabuu spread his wings and fired more of his trademark red energy rings for Yuki, but was shocked to see that they didn't affect her in the slightest this time around.

Yuki countered this attack by spreading her own wings and discharging a massive field of silver energy that actually did some good damage.

"What did I just tell you, TABUU?!" Yuki exclaimed, her voice hoarse with rage. "I'm NEVER backing down!!! Not after what you've done to this world!!"

"Foolish to the very end," Tabuu stated, turning into what appeared to be a pair of golden brackets. The brackets shot forward faster than the black witch could react, trapping her in-between them.

"Why not just accept your fate?!" Tabuu exclaimed, spreading his wings once more, knowing that Yuki wouldn't be able to escape from this one.

Yuki struggled to break free from the brackets, but it seemed to be no use. Something was stopping her divine powers from surfacing.

_There's no way out!!_ Yuki thought. _I guess I'm done for... Nick-kun... I'm so sorry..._

"NOW DIE, BRAT!!!" Tabuu exclaimed.

All of a sudden, something came out of the blue, shattering one of Tabuu's wings. Whatever this was quickly came back and shot through the other wing, breaking it into pieces as well. The green streak of light hopped up onto the platform Yuki was on, and from it came...

"NICK-KUN?!" Yuki exclaimed.

"YOU!!!" Tabuu shouted, not believing what he was seeing.

Nick simply laughed. "Tabuu, I can't believe you fell for the oldest trick in the book!!" he exclaimed.

Not wasting any time, he held Hanyou Hikari into the air, drawing a circle with it.

"_Aura Crescent!!!"_ Nick exclaimed, slashing Hanyou Hikari through the middle of the energy circle. Hundreds of energy bursts came flying from the circle, striking Tabuu mercilessly and forcing him to back off.

"Not so tough now, are you?" Nick taunted.

Yuki, however, was still in disbelief. _Is it really possible?_

Noticing his little sister's confused look, he turned towards her, flashing the grin she'd always loved.

"_Nankurunaisa,"_ was all Nick said. That was enough to convince Yuki, as she rushed up and embraced Nick tightly.

"It's okay, Yuki-chan. I told you, I'm not going anywhere without you."

"But, Nick-kun... how did you SURVIVE that?!" Yuki asked, still confused.

Nick simply held up Hanyou Hikari. "Tabuu should know that better than anyone. I can't believe he forgot about Hanyou Hikari's Bide ability!"

Tabuu's eyes suddenly widened. _Of course..._

"As for why I looked like I'd been killed, that was actually a little trick I picked up a while before we started this journey," Nick stated, pointing to his 'other' self, which quickly poofed away.

"Majonomi's been teaching me how to use a chunk of my magical power to create a sort of clone of myself," Nick explained. "So, the me that shoved you away from those energy rings was the clone I'd created. I didn't actually think that trick would be useful until now!"

"Nick-kun..." was all Yuki could say, tightening her embrace.

Tabuu was clearly surprised. _Impressive..._

"I promised myself that I would always protect you, Yuki-chan," Nick stated. "And I NEVER go back on my word."

"I know, Nick-kun..." Yuki replied, tears flowing from her eyes. "I'm just so happy you're all right..."

"ENOUGH GAMES!!!" Tabuu shouted, causing Nick and Yuki to shift into fighting stances.

"I don't care how you survived my most powerful attack, brat, but this is where it will all end for you!!" Tabuu shouted, growing to about five times his original size and spreading his wings once more.

Just as the attack was about to begin, Nick noticed something peculiar.

"Yuki-chan!! Aim for the head!!" Nick exclaimed. Yuki nodded, joining hands with her big brother.

"_By the celestial moons..."_ Yuki chanted.

"_By the spirits of the sun..."_ Nick continued.

"_Let the spear of justice pierce the fabric of darkness!!!"_

A bow made of pure light energy formed in Nick's hands as Yuki fitted a glowing arrow into the string, drawing it back and aiming right for the center of Tabuu's head.

"_Double Ojamajo Celestial Arrow!!!"_

With that, Yuki fired the arrow, a shining aura surrounding it. After a bit of traveling, the arrow struck Tabuu's head dead-center.

The damage was too great, as Tabuu immediately shrunk to his normal size and held his head in agony.

"No... this CAN'T BE!!!" Tabuu shouted as his body shattered into pieces much like it had at the end of the previous battle.

The entire place was completely silent for a few seconds.

"Is... is it really over?" Yuki asked.

"I can't sense Tabuu's aura anymore," Nick responded. "He's done for."

Just then, Yuki remembered Satoshi.

"Is... is he...?" Yuki asked.

"His aura's faint, but it's still there," Nick noted. "I may still be able to help him. Stand back."

With that, Nick walked up to Satoshi's limp form and held his hands out.

"_Soten kisshun!! I reject!!"_

Satoshi began glowing with a bright light, which completely healed all of the wounds he'd taken on from Tabuu's surprise attack.

"Uh..." Satoshi stated, slowly getting to his feet.

"Nick-kun... when will I stop worrying about you... you IDIOT!!!"

Nick almost fell flat on his face at this sudden outburst. Satoshi definitely looked surprised.

"WHY DO YOU MAKE ME WORRY SO MUCH, NICK-KUN?! You KNOW what kind of place this is, and yet I STILL can't stop worrying about you!! WHY, NICK-KUN?!!"

"Yuki-chan... I..." Nick stated, at a loss for words.

"When... when dad started attacking us... I was scared, Nick-kun... I was so scared I wouldn't be alive for much longer... then... then you made your promise to me. It filled me with a lot of things... hope... faith... courage... I swore to myself that I would never forget those things as long as you were by my side... When you leave, Nick-kun, I start worrying... even when you're just going to school, I worry... I shouldn't have to worry about things like that with you at my side... it just isn't fair..."

Yuki burst into tears upon finishing her speech.

Nick thought for a few seconds, then walked up and hugged his little sister.

"Yuki-chan... honestly, I'm sorry if I've been making you worry. Most of the time, I wonder how much longer we'll be alive in such dangerous situations... it worries me, too. Ever since dad started acting out, I've taken it upon myself to protect you, no matter what happens to me. It's like I told you when we made our promise... I'll always protect you, even if I have to give my life to do it. And you know that it isn't in me to EVER go back on my word. I'm just not like that, Yuki-chan. But... I'm sorry if I made you worry..."

Nick was in tears by this point. He'd never realized before how much this had worried Yuki...

"Nick-kun?"

"Yes, Yuki-chan?"

Nick looked down at his sister. She was smiling now.

"Let's head back. The others are waiting. And..."

Yuki surprised Nick by kissing him on the cheek.

"Thank you... for always being there for me."

"No problem, Yuki-chan. That's what I'm supposed to do."

With that, Nick, Yuki, and Satoshi walked into the red door that had just appeared.

(Written by **YukiShinoya444**)

"Welcome back!!" a familiar voice greeted as the three appeared.

Nick grinned. "Mori-chan..." Moriko winked.

"_Lucky_, much?"

He nodded. "Yeah... Thanks."

"No problem."

"Looks like you guys really pulled through..." Future Nick started, walking up with a grin. "We knew we could count on you."

Yuki smiled. "Was there any doubt?" She then glanced at Satoshi, her smile disappearing at the sight of his blank look. Satoshi-kun...

"Hey... Where's future me?"

Kurumi seemed to sigh before gesturing over to where the future Yuki could be seen sulking against a tree. "She's over there... She's thinking." Yuki's eyes glittered for a few moments.

"Uh... Hey! Future me!!" she called out. "We're back... And guess who's with us!!"

Her future self seemed to perk up and faced her with a smile. "Oh, little me, you're.... Satoshi-kun?"

Satoshi flinched, and blushed heavily, looking down at his feet. "O..._okaa-san_..."

Walking forward, his mother seemed to sigh. "Satoshi-kun... I..." Satoshi winced, expecting her to yell... Be angry... After all, it was what he deserved.

"I'm sorry."

His eyes widened, and he looked at his mother's apologetic smile. His eyes seemed to tear up before he just rushed into her arms.

"Okaa-san... _I_ should be the one apologizing.."

Future Yuki returned the hug, gently ruffling her son's hair before giggling. "It's no problem. No need to worry, Satoshi-kun! Everything will be alright... Okay?"

Satoshi looked up at her bright smile. "You... You haven't smiled like that since otou-san died...."

She kissed his forehead before squeezing him in another tight embrace. "You know... You look so much like your dad..."

"Mom, I know." Satoshi smiled himself before closing his eyes. "I'm sorry I worried you."

Yuki and Nick grinned at the scene and looked at each other with bright smiles.

"So... What now?" Doremi wondered, taking Akatsuki's arm. "How about you say we hit it off, Akatsuki-kun? I think I'd like a few kids of my own..."

"Doremi-chan..."

"Ah, ah! First things, first!!" Aiko exclaimed, waving her finger. "We gotta get the twerps back to their own time!"

Onpu nodded. "And then we'll worry about all that okay?"

Akemi smiled before giving both Yuki and Nick a tight squeeze. "Good luck on your way back okay?"

Moriko then walked up and pecked Nick's cheek. "A gift from me, don't lose my lucky charm!!" Nick blushed, and nodded.

"So long, you two!" Leon exclaimed, laughing. Fujio nodded, grinning as well.

"Have a safe trip!!" Julie yelled, happily.

Nick shot a thumbs up. "Will do!!"

"_Hey, hey! Someone mind telling me why WE don't get to tell them good-bye?"_

Everyone seemed to perk up at this new voice.

"Mana-chan!!" Yuki called happily before turning surprised. "No way..."

"_And not just Mana-chan! Us, too!"_

Nick looked surprised as well but smiled. "Momoko... Saiki-kun... Long time, no see."

"Saiki-kun..." future Yuki stated, at a clear loss for words. Satoshi perked up, blushing a bit.

"O-_Otou-san_..."

Saiki smiled. _"It's good to see the two of you have already made your amends. I'm glad."_

Momoko beamed. _"Actually, it's good to see how well things turned out.. Well done, Nick!!"_

"Momoko..." future Nick started. "It's good to see you're doing alright as well..."

"_And Sakura-chan?"_

"She's fine," the past Nick answered for him, grinning. "Just fine."

"_Now THAT'S a relief..."_

"_Yes, good for you, Momoko-chan..."_ Saiki stated with a sigh. Mana looked up and nudged her dad.

"_Hey come on otou-chan, be happy!! I'm still here aren't I?"_

Both Yuki and future Yuki laughed, tears falling from their eyes, catching their attention.

"_Okaa-chan... Yuki-chan..."_

Future Yuki smiled. "I'm just so relieved... Saiki-kun, in a way, you're okay..."

Saiki looked confused but smiled back. _"I haven't forgotten..."_

"Yes..." she blushed. "I only wish we had some more time together... I love you though, Saiki-kun. Remember that."

"_And I love you,"_ he winked. _"Just be sure not to forget that either, okay? You too, Satoshi-kun."_

Satoshi nodded, blushing, before Mana came up to him and grinned.

"_Onii-chan made the right choice!"_ she chirped, happily.

"M-Mana-chan..."

"_I'm so happy! Now if Yuki-chan would keep her word... We can play together lots in the future... Um.. You WILL prevent this future right...?"_ Mana asked, looking at her future mom with wide, childsh eyes.

"Of course!" Yuki answered happily. "I guess I'll see you all in the future huh? But you know... Because I plan preventing this... It'll all never happen."

"Eh, it's for the best," Moriko stated, shrugging. "As long as you two are safe, what more do we need?"

The three spirits nodded. Both the future Nick and Yuki then walked up to their past selves.

"Well... Ready to go back?" future Nick asked.

"After everything that's happened, all I want is to be back at the hotel, and back with MY Saiki-kun!!" Yuki retorted. Nick nodded.

"And I think I want to see Momoko back in my own time..."

"Well then, take our hands, and you'll all be back in no time!!" future Yuki exclaimed, laughing.

The two siblings nodded and joined hands with their future selves, and began glowing as they rose in the air.

"Yuki-chan!! Please make Saiki happy okay?" Satoshi called out. Yuki nodded.

"And you better be nice to Mana-chan in the future!"

"W-Will do!!"

"We'll see you all! Goodbye!!" Kurumi yelled as they all began waving.

The four gave them all one last smile before vanishing.

"Good luck..." was all Satoshi could whisper before they disappeared.

"..._Mom_."

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"NICK-KUN!!! Wake up!!!"

Nick groaned in his sleep before rolling over. "Five more minutes, Yuki-chan..."

Yuki huffed. Some things never change...

She then grinned and began tickling him. "Come on, come on, come on!! Nick-kun!!"

Nick started shaking then laughing as she continued, mercilessly.

"Y-Y-Yuki-chan, I'm up! I'm up!" he said between laughs. Yuki stopped, proud of her handiwork.

"Then get out of bed, lazy head!" she sung, cheerfully. "I have this _sudden urge_ to see my dear Saiki-kun and tell him I love him! And then I'm going to chase my dream of becoming an idol!!"

Perking, Nick got up and yawned. "Oh really... If that's the case I should come with you..."

Yuki faked gagging. "No way! You stay here, Nick-kun!"

Nick then smiled. "Then... I guess I'll see Momoko... It feels like _decades_ since I've seen her for some reason..." Yuki smiled back.

"You sure are right, Nick-kun! The future seems..."

A pause, they all froze for a few moments, and shook their heads.

"What was that?" Nick asked, confused. "Something about the future?"

"Huh? OH, I was just saying our future looks bright is all! As soon as we move back in our old house again... I'm missing my room..." Yuki sighed. "Hey Nick-kun... Ever get that feeling that fate's changing for the best? A little gut-feeling?"

"Y-Yeah... I guess..." he answered, surprised himself.

Yuki beamed. "Come on, onii-chan... Let's go see Saiki-kun and Momo-chan!!"

Nick grinned. _The future really does seem to be in our favor..._

"Right behind you!"

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"I won again, Mana-chan."

"Onii-chan, that is so NOT fair!!"

Mana pouted as her older brother laughed.

"Aw... What a sore loser..." he noted, teasingly.

"At least I don't get lost every five minutes!!" she shot back, then grinned. "_Satoshi-nii-chan_."

Satoshi blushed but glared at her. "Mana-chan..."

"Oi, get along you two!" an older version of Yuki could be seen scolding, hands on her hips. "You two always play together, but at least learn how to play NICE!!"

"Ah, kids will be kids, Yuki-chan," a voice said from behind her, making her blush like crazy.

"S-Saiki-kun..." she started, before shaking her head. "J-Just because we've known each other for so long... I mean, I am your wife and.."

"I know, I know," Saiki answered, sighing, before pecking her cheek. "And I'm glad for that.."

Yuki smiled brightly. "Saiki-kun..."

"Lovey-dovey as usual, I see..." a teasing voice stated.

"Good for you," another voice stated.

"Nick-kun! Momo-chan!" Yuki called, cheerfully. "What a pleasant surprise!!"

"Don't forget me!"

"Sakura-chan!!" Satoshi and Mana called at the same times. Mana waved her hand.

"Sakura-chan, play with us! Play with us!"

Grinning, Sakura nodded.

"Okay!"

"So, Nick-kun.... How's the married life with Momo-chan?" Yuki asked, walking up to him. Nick smiled.

"Great, and you?"

Yuki smiled brightly.

"Just what did I say about the future looking bright?"

(BONUS by Yuki: And at last, it's the ending song!! It's Taisetsu na Negai by CooRie! Such a sweet ending for such a sweet song...)

(Footage: It's appeared to have just stopped raining. We switch to a view of Satoshi who's holding an umbrella, looking confused and glances over at Yuki, who's also holding an umbrella, but playing in some of the aftermath puddles, cheerfully. Satoshi just smiles.)

_itsumono machi to minareta senaka_

(Footage: Both Yuki and Satoshi are walking through town. Yuki's spinning raindrops off her umbrella as she looks at him.)

_fuini yasashii kaze o kanji ta_

(Footage: They both suddenly stop and look cheerfully at the screen, and it shows a shot of Nick from the top of a balcony, grinning.)

_aruku hayasa o awase terukimi o_

(Footage: Yuki waves at Nick and continues on, Satoshi following. Yuki suddenly perks up, happily and drops her umbrella and runs to the end of a cliff, and spreads her arms out wide.)

_watashi dake ga shitte itai_

(Footage: Yuki smiles brightly as the wind runs through her and we spin around slowly, showing the sky in front of Yuki is a beautiful purple and pink sunset. Satoshi comes up from behind, and they smile at each other.)

_otona ni nareba egakeru no? kono kimochi_

(Footage: It shows Future Yuki at the top of a building, pulling some of her hair behind her hair, looking about and spotting Yuki and Satoshi walking by. Yuki and Satoshi apparently notice and Satoshi blushes a deep shade of red as his mother simply smiles at the two.)

_meguru kisetsu mo oikoshi te mitaiyo_

(Footage: Yuki takes Satoshi's arm and leads him away, waving good-bye to her future self who waves as well as the two rush off.)

_taisetsu na negai kowasanu youni_

(Footage: Random memories of Future Yuki and Satoshi are shown, starting with her holding a baby, and ending with her ruffling his hair. Past Yuki then appears, shooting a peace sign, smiling brightly.)

_atatameyou __mayotte mo naite mo sobani itai_

(Footage: Yuki and Satoshi are still running and suddenly Yuki stops. Releasing Satoshi's arm she walks forward, staring straight at a starry night sky, her eyes reflecting it and glittering.)

_kikase te hoshii kimi no sonokoe o_

(Footage: Random memories of the Ojamajos and their future selves in the constellations, ending with Momoko and Saiki, both smiling. Nick then appears behind Yuki, and puts a hand around her shoulder, and she smiles at him.

_mou furimukanai de ai mo yume mo hibi mo_

(Footage: Nick and Yuki laugh, and Satoshi smiles a little. Yuki turns to Satoshi and smiles, pointing at the sky, showing that it is now morning. Something sparkles in the distance. Satoshi perks up, surprised, and his eyes widen.)

_mitsukete yukou_

(Footage: Momoko, Mana, and Saiki are shown transparent in the sky. They just smile and wave, disappearing. Nick, Yuki, and Satoshi all look surprised, but then smile. Tears form in Yuki's eyes and she murmurs Saiki's name.)


End file.
